Tuesday 19 June 2012

Taphophile Tragics


The Mausoleum of Dr Sun Yat Sen in Nanjing, China.

Sun Yat-sen (12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925) was a Chinese revolutionary and first president and founding father of the Republic of China ("Nationalist China"). As the foremost pioneer of Republic of China, Sun is referred to as the "Father of the Nation" in the Republic of China (ROC), and the "forerunner of democratic revolution" in the People's Republic of China. Sun played an instrumental role in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty during the Xinhai Revolution. Sun was the first provisional president when the Republic of China was founded in 1912 and later co-founded the Kuomintang (KMT), serving as its first leader. Sun was a uniting figure in post-Imperial China, and remains unique among 20th-century Chinese politicians for being widely revered amongst the people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Although Sun is considered one of the greatest leaders of modern China, his political life was one of constant struggle and frequent exile. After the success of the revolution, he quickly fell out of power in the newly founded Republic of China, and led successive revolutionary governments as a challenge to the warlords who controlled much of the nation. Sun did not live to see his party consolidate its power over the country during the Northern Expedition. His party, which formed a fragile alliance with the Communists, split into two factions after his death. Sun's chief legacy resides in his developing of the political philosophy known as the Three Principles of the People: nationalism, democracy, and the people's livelihood.


This is an entry in Julie's Taphophile Tragics meme.

9 comments:

Dina said...

I'm glad he has a nice place to rest in peace, after a hard and eventful life.

Jim said...

Great post.

Annie Jeffries said...

Remarkable structure. It looks like it goes on forever.

Joe said...

A wonderful image. Sun Yat-sen must have been much revered to earn such a memorial and such devotion.

biebkriebels said...

I think he deserved such a beautiful mausoleum to rest. He tried to improve the circumstances for his people.

Julie said...

I remember learning about him during Modern History especially the two years prior to the Leaving Certificate in 1965 where I took History Honours. I suspect the devotion to Sun Yat-sen is stronger on Taiwan than in mainland China, although the Taiwanese are dotty mainly about Chiang Kai-shek, from memory.

It certainly is a massive memorial, and well patronised by the looks of it, although there are quite a few people with which to fill it!!

You certainly have been to some fantastic places. When were you in Nanking?

SeaThreePeeO said...

Wow, what an imposing monument.

Herding Cats

Gemma Wiseman said...

Somehow Sun Yat-Sen's resting place reminds me of a Greek temple on an acropolis! There is a sense of the sacred here, clearly well respected and honoured!

CaT said...

that looks very impressive!