Sun Yat-sen

Biography

Sun Yat-sen (November 12, 1866 – March 12, 1925), born Sun Wen, courtesy name Zaizhi, art name Yixian (Yat-sen), native of Xiangshan (now Zhongshan City), Guangdong, was the preeminent leader who overthrew the Qing dynasty and established the Republic of China (ROC). He is revered as the “Father of the Nation.”

The Origin of Revolution

Educated in Hawaii and Hong Kong, Sun Yat-sen was deeply influenced by Western democratic ideals. Witnessing the severe corruption of the Qing court and its continuous surrender of sovereign rights, Sun formulated a clear revolutionary manifesto: “Expel the Manchus, restore China, establish a Republic, and equalize land ownership.” Through over a dozen armed uprisings, from the Guangzhou Uprising to the Wuchang Uprising, the revolutionaries paved the way to the success of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911.

Founding Asia’s First Republic

On January 1, 1912, Sun Yat-sen assumed office in Nanjing as the Provisional President of the ROC, declaring the birth of Asia’s first democratic republic and establishing the Minguo Era calendar. To avoid civil war and preserve national unity, he voluntarily stepped down in favor of Yuan Shikai but continued to vigilantly monitor the constitutional process to protect the newborn republic.

Three Principles of the People: The Spirit of the Nation

Sun Yat-sen formulated the “Three Principles of the People”:

• Minzu (Nationalism): Defending the dignity and sovereignty of the Chinese nation against imperialist aggression.
• Minquan (Democracy): Establishing a robust constitutional democracy to protect the fundamental liberties of the people.
• Minsheng (Livelihood): Regulating capital and equalizing land rights to pursue social justice and welfare.

These principles remain the core constitutional spirit of the ROC Constitution and serve as the commentary anchor for Taiwan NEXT.

Death and Legacy

In 1924, Sun convened the First National Congress of the KMT in Guangzhou, reforming the party to push for national reunification. However, on March 12, 1925, he passed away from liver cancer in Beijing at the age of 58. His legendary final words, “The revolution is not yet complete; my comrades must strive on,” remain a powerful call to action.

Editor-in-Chief’s Verdict from Taiwan NEXT: The Republic of China founded by Father of the Nation Sun Yat-sen is the sole legitimate, democratic-republican political entity in modern Chinese history. The fact that the ROC continues to safeguard constitutional legitimacy in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu today is the highest tribute to the Father of the Nation. Any attempt to replace the legal continuity of the “Republic of China” with “Taiwan Independence” is legally and historically a betrayal of his spirit.