Formerly Xiangshan County, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province over the past hundred years gave the world a handful of great individuals, instrumental in the development of modern China, including Rong Hong (Yung Wing), Zheng Guanying (Cheng Kuan-ying), Tang Tingshu (Tong King-sing), Xu Run (Chui Yun), Sun Yat-sen, Tang Shaoyi (Tong Shao-yi), Liu Shifu (Lau Shi-fu) and Guo Le (Kwok Lok). People say that modern China began in Guangdong—and modern Guangdong began in Zhongshan.
"Zhongshan Road," fateful birthplace of Sun Yat-sen (given name Zhongshan), is all but one of many Zhongshan Roads in China, and every Zhongshan Road has its own place in modern China's history. All these roads transcend geographical constructsas well as concepts of mere names, and come together to form a living record of China's modern history.
On the dawn of the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, the author journeyed off on the Zhongshan Road, following the path of modern China's development, in an attempt to get a perspective on China's progress, and ponder on a nation's future.
2008 WAS NO ORDINARY year. Not only was it a celebration of 30 years of economic reforms, but it was also Beijing's fulfillment of the Chinese people's biggest wish: hosting the Olympic Games. In so many ways, this year would be a high point for the Chinese people, but it would also be the starting point for even greater social reform. This year, the Chinese nation would stand in glory, but also with aspiration; in pride, but also with critique; looking back, but also looking forward…
With the passing of the year 2008, the People's Republic of China would celebrate its 60th anniversary, and in traditional Chinese time, a complete cycle of 60 years (jiazi). And being 30 years since the economic reforms, so too would this be the midpoint of another cycle. 2008, this extraordinary year would become a momentous point in history to be spoken of, analyzed and critiqued for many years to come. So on this occasion, it is worth taking a step back, to reflect on the hardships and experiences of this nation, because every experience, every plan and every action that we make today has profound and unpredictable consequences not just for China—but also for the world.
Today, we find ourselves at a defining point in China's development.
A day-to-day exposure to current events leads me, a media specialist by profession, to ponder upon the significance of the two anniversaries—the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic and the 30th anniversary of the nation's economic reforms—and what I could write for the history books. Based on my personal experiences and impressions throughout these three decades of great change, I wrote the novel The Old House in Yuanqing Alley. The simple tale of the ups and downs and powerful emotions of the common-folk of Yuanqing Alley tells us the story of a turning point for Chinese society. We understand the inevitability—and the need—for our nation to reform. The Old House in Yuanqing Alley later was nominated for the seventh Mao Dun Prize for Literature.
Whether as a realist observer of a civilization's fate, or as a reporter interfacing with society on a day-to-day basis, the common experiences of the Chinese people in light of these reforms and the steps taken on the road toward modern China have always been central to my speculation and the focus of my works. Having completed The Old House in Yuanqing Alley, my personal enquiry into the fate of this civilization has no end in sight—and my hunger for thought on the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping is far from satisfied.
Reincarnation may or may not be a reality, but causality in our actions is definite. The reality of now is the product of actions past. How, from a historical perspective, to trace the fate of a nation and map a path for development is the challenge I have set myself of late.
But I am not alone. All that I so diligently seek to fathom is likely on the minds of most people. And it is due to this common ground that I was fortunate enough to meet, learn from and walk together with an inspirational group of Zhongshan City scholars.
In June 2008, a group of employees at the Zhongshan Daily newspaper came to Shenzhen with the vision of poet Qiu Shuhong and a proposal—as an academic of Sun Yat-sen's role in the revolution, they invited me to complete a composition on the topic of Zhongshan Road. In all of China (including Taiwan), there are 326 roads named in memory of Sun Yat-sen, and of those there are over 187 named "Zhongshan Road." We can loosely define the former as "generally" the Zhongshan Roads, the latter more "specifically" the Zhongshan Roads. We could say Zhongshan Road is the king of street names. Together, the Zhongshan Roads systematically form a rare spectacle, and they all share one thing in common—almost every Zhongshan Road is at the pinnacle of a city's prosperity. Not only a reflection of that city's style and features today, but capturing its history and development as well. These unique, distinguishing characteristics make "Zhongshan Road" not simply a geographical construct, and not just a simple memorial of Sun Yat-sen. They are a living part of China's modernization and urbanization. They capture unique political and economic circumstances, forming a string of historical and cultural icons and puzzles worth examining—and worth solving.
The implications of Zhongshan Road are profound, its meaning extraordinary.
History is examined from an observational perspective, not dissimilar to the role of a reader. This great trail, concealing rich and deep meaning, and extending across the bounds of a nation has been quietly waiting for us to approach, examine and explore. They not only challenged my creative composition abilities, but also stimulated my imagination. To my excitement, I realized this coincided with my own personal conundrum—the Zhongshan Road is, itself, a narration of history.
After a period of thought, I made the journey to Zhongshan City, and met with Qiu Shuhong. I put forth my quest and ideas, to the resounding agreement of Qiu Shuhong. With this, I began my journey of the Zhongshan Road.
"The universe is boundless; the pathways are infinite." Every civilization is always choosing their path of development. Every civilization has walked their own historic path. And every civilization has left behind their own unique impact and footprints. These paths define where a society will strive towards, and in the end whether they rise or fall; whether they are honored or disgraced. China's history was one of authoritarianism. The suppression of thought and passion weakened our hunger and desire for discovery and renewal, and resulted in a never-ending cycle of unity and disunity.
In the hope of revitalizing a nation, Tseng Kuo-fan (Zeng Guofan), Li Hung-chang (Li Hongzhang) and Zhang Zhidong headed the Westernization Movement; Zheng Guanying, Tang Tingshu and Chang Chien (Zhang Jian) tried to rely on industrial development; Rong Hong pushed for education; K'ang Yu-wei (Kang Youwei) and Liang Ch'i-ch'ao (Liang Qichao) pursued constitutionalism; Sung Chiao-jen (Song Jiaoren) and Huang Hsing (Huang Xing) aspired for parliament…In the end, only Sun Yat-sen was able to bring together the Chinese people, their rights and their livelihoods as the three equally weighted pillars in a path to reform.
Never in history has there been a nation whose path to modernization was so long, whose challenges were so great, whose road to reform was so rough. Historian Huang Renyu's outlook on "The Great History" characterizes the sporadic wave-after-wave of modern China's reforms as follows: "China's long-term reforms are aimed at redesigning the agricultural industry as a modern enterprise through use of business principles. Traditional agricultural society is rigid—human relations are unitary, and the traditional hierarchy of superiority 'superiors over inferiors, male over female, old over young' remains dominant. In an industrial agricultural industry, facilitation of equality and freedom of exchange are imperative. Therefore, under the umbrella of "rights and obligations," human relations must first be pluralistic in nature before we can even begin to discuss equality and freedom. But if the former transforms into the latter, something completely different is formed."
Sun Yat-sen was both a revolutionary leader, and a practitioner setting the path for the decayed nation of China toward modernization. Under his leadership, the Chinese people took the first step in doing away with authoritarian imperial rule, and moved forward on the path of democracy. His formulation of "A Plan for Building the Nation" in pursuit of a "prosperous China" proposed attracting foreign investment and modernizing production as key goals in the search for and realization of this ideal "Zhongshan Trail."
Just as Qiu Shuhong writes in his poem Zhongshan Road,Zhongshan Road is part of Zhongshan City, but it is also a significant symbol for the Chinese nation. Zhongshan Road is history's, but it is also the future's. It embodies our success and glory of today, at the same time penetrating the perplexion, humiliation, quest and struggles of our past.
Many a road,
Many a city,
Many a you.
For every you,
There is a city.
You are the city's lifeblood,
The memory of a nation.
Many a road, so tough, so harsh,
Witnesses to the earth and the sea,
To the wind and the rain.
For every step,
There is a piece of history.
You are the city's family tree,
The legend of a nation.
Many a road, so long, so vast,
Connecting the future,
Connecting the past.
For every path,
There is a new frontier.
You are the city's aspiration,
The will of a nation.
Many a road, so beautiful, so great,
As bright as gold,
As exquisite as flowers.
As clear as the moon,
Just like a rainbow.
You are the city's yearning,
The hope of a nation.
Sun Yat-sen famously warned our nation, "The wave of the world goes forth with strength and vigor. To ride it is to prosper; to go against it is to perish." How exactly should we ride this irresistible wave? The past centuries for China has been an era of hesitation, exploration, striving and procrastination…
After 30 years of economic reforms, as the People's Republic of China celebrates its 60th anniversary, following the historic Zhongshan Road is of great relevance in examining the country's development and pondering upon the path of the Chinese nation's future.
"The past reflects the rise and fall of the future." We inherit the Zhongshan Road of history, but we gain from it inspiration of the future.
THE ZHONGSHAN Road begins in the hometown of Sun Yat-sen: Cuiheng Village, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China.
In the blazing summer of July 2008, I began my journey across this great nation from this starting point, following the steps of modern China's defining forefathers.
From day one, the people I would meet and their stories would continue to shock me. Despite my long-term residency and work in Shenzhen, my impression of neighboring Zhongshan was skin-deep and rough. Only now, as I make tracks for Zhongshan, brushing the dust away from the history buried within, and acquaint myself personally with the city did I realize not only was this the beginning of the Zhongshan Road, but one of the pivotal points in defining modern China's history.
Zhongshan City, formerly Xiangshan. To the Southeast of the city is a continuous wave of mountain range, abundant in flowers blooming throughout the four seasons—fuchsia flowers, cherry apple trees, rhododendrons, orchids and eaglewoods, their fragrance dominating the air. The ancients called it Xiangshan— "the fragrant mountains."
According to archeological discoveries, Xiangshan was the only mountain to form in the Lingdingyang waterway. Sediment, which flowed through the Lingdingyang waterway, via the Pearl River, gradually formed a mass of land, and slowly began to adjoin the mainland. The evolution of Xiangshan is perfectly captured by the famous Chinese saying: "like the interchange of sea and land, time brings great changes to the world."
Under the order of Ming Emperor Yongle—Zhu Di (1360-1424), Xie Jin, Yao Guangxiao, Wang Jing, Zou Ji et al. compiled The Yongle Encyclopedia. Contained in this work is a deion of then Xiangshan: "The city of Xiangshan is but an island in the abyss of the great seas. The land is barren and narrow, and the people are very poor."
Xiangshan's poverty was due to the county's establishment unfortunately coinciding with the chaos of the war of the late Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and the enslavement of Han Chinese by the Mongol rule of the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368). After this major development setback, Xiangshan only returned to basic, stable, artisan and agricultural industry in the middle or late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) after years of revitalization and recultivation. However, even the most prosperous of business districts was no more than a few small shop-fronts along the street selling paper products, Chinese medicine, seafood, groceries and other basic goods.
Between the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), European fleets continued to arrive, bringing with them aspirations and motivation to transform China's relationship with the rest of the world. Under our self-imposed autarky, self-imposed intoxication of 3,000 years, the first to feel this wave of change was of course Xiangshan. The Culture of Xiangshan records: "After the 16th century occupation by the Portuguese of Macao, we not only became the center of exchange for Western goods, but also China's key port for industry, government, spirituality, and technological development. The penetration of Western culture breathes new life into cultures of Xiangshan and area covering Guangdong and Hainan. Xiangshan in its close proximity to Western influence was exposed early to different world views, values and outlooks on life—and has adapted. Traditional Chinese concepts of 'the sky was round while the earth was square' and the 'China was the center of the world' have begun to shift. The superiority of Western systems of government, science and technology, religion, education, culture and arts has entered the consciousness of most Xiangshan people, and has given them a desire to step beyond the confines of this nation's borders out into the wider world in search of the new, in search of strength and in search of wealth."
The comprehensive impact of Western culture on Xiangshan is deep. The European and American influenced youth of the late Qing Dynasty would become pioneers in the improvement and reforms of China, active in all walks of society and all over the nation—one after another. The great contributors to the push for democracy: Tang Shaoyi, Luk Ho-tung (Lu Haodong), Yeung Hok-ling (Yang Heling) and Yeung Sin-yat (Yang Xianyi); those who endured the bitter hardships of modern China's industrialization: Chui Wing-cun (Xu Rongcun), Chui Yan (Xu Run), Tang Tingshu, Ma Ying-biao (Ma Yingbiao), Guo Le and Kwok Cheun (Guo Quan); those who brought fresh ideological enlightenment: Zheng Guanying, Rong Hong, Liu Shifu and Tong Kwok-on (Tang Guo'an). The pinnacle of these "shining stars," however, is of course the great democratic reformist Sun Yat-sen.
The revolutionaries of Xiangshan threw themselves onto the stage of China, starting a wave of reform that the entire world would be watching closely. They repeatedly tried to change their hometown—and change China—so some people say the history of modern China began in Xiangshan.
Whether reforms of improvement or revolution, over the past hundred years China's leading reformists have all undertaken extensive enquiry into political, economic, cultural and developmental aspects of society, working towards a common goal—integration into a globalized world, and stepping into a modern era. Xiangshan was a key experiment in opening the doors of old and autarkist China to the outside world.
Early in 1909, in order to save the nation, under Zheng Guanying's "art of business wins over the art of war" philosophy, some proposed to establish a 60-year "tax-free economic port" in Xiangzhou, a place between Xiangshan and Macao. In his report to the Qing government, Wang Shen writes, "…on the battlefield of business with the West, our foremost tactic is to construct tax free zones in all southern ports, including Hong Kong…" [1]
Zhang Renjun, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi believed this was a viable proposal—of great help to Zheng Guanying, assistant manager of the Guangzhou Chamber of Commerce at the time. On April 23, 1909, China's first Special Economic Zone began construction. The 60-year tax-free zone attracted overseas Chinese business and investment, bringing prosperity to the region—of impact not dissimilar to that of the 1980 creation of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. American missionary John Thomson described this free trade port as follows:
Unable to bear the restrictions of "ancient" cities, Chinese returning from America, Singapore and Hong Kong selected a region of close proximity to inner port Macao to begin construction of a new port. Wide and open roads, tidy drainage systems, pretty shop-fronts, monasteries, police stations, fire stations, waterworks, libraries, parks, a commercial bureau, a tram rail, electricity and fuel gas, hospitals, schools, theaters, houses with gardens, motorboat and steamboat operating lines—and a free trade port. Everything was set out,—all according to plan.[2]
Unfortunately, the morning sun never lasts a day. Despite the Qing Emperor Xuantong issuing an imperial order to recognize Xiangzhou as a free trade port, constitutional issues presented themselves at every turn in its implementation. "Tax-free" was simply anempty promise that could never be delivered. On top of that, Zhang Renjun's successor believed that Xiangzhou was far too small to ever compete with Hong Kong as a viable trade port and had no desire to develop the port of free trade, leading to the eventual dissipation of overseas investment.
In the modern age, opening to the world has been the dream of China, the dream of Guangdong and the dream of Xiangshan. Sun Yat-sen put forth an important ideology in his "A Plan for Building a Nation" : "Invest in an open China, and develop China's industry."
Zheng Guanying and his fellow reformists' Xiangzhou Economic Port had met its premature fate, but Xiangshan's push toward globalization had anything but come to a halt. Twenty years later, Cabinet Minister of the first parliament of the Republic of China Tang Shaoyi once again started a new phase in the "opening up" experiment.
Born in Tangjia Bay, Xiangshan County, Tang Shaoyi was somewhat of a legend in modern China's political circle. His uncle Tang Tingshu had an instrumental role in the late Qing Westernization Movement, and had an obvious influence on his ideological views. He was a loyal follower of Sun Yat-sen for many years to come, their acquaintance becoming one of deep emotion. In 1925, under the direction of his proposal, Xiangshan County was renamed Zhongshan County.
In February 1929, the National Affairs Meeting of the Nanjing government named Zhongshan a model county affiliated directly to the central government. Tang Shaoyi founded this model region and as a central government committee member, he took the post of chairman of the Administering Committee of Zhongshan County, and in 1931, he once again became county magistrate of Zhongshan. Under his guidance, Zhongshan once again became a tax-free trade port, this time selecting his hometown Tangjia Bay as the location for port construction.
He reported frequently to the Nanjing central government, stressing the importance of the Tangjia Bay construction effort. After countless pleas, in May 1930 Nanjing made the following formal announcement: "Tangjia Bay of Zhongshan County will henceforth be a tax-free trade port, for a period of 60 years, to be named the Zhongshan Port, to be administrated by Zhongshan County's Administering Committee." This relinquished much of the administrative and financial power and freedom from the central government to the Zhongshan Administration.
After a year of planning and preparations, in December 1931 Tang Shaoyi signed a contract with a Dutch harbor administration company. The contract promised the construction of two wharfs, a typhoon shelter, a breakwater, and a 50-sq-m signal platform, and the opening of roads. Upon completion, Zhongshan would become a directly accessible international port, and a viable competitor to Hong Kong as an economic center.
However, "just as the Zhongshan port construction entered a critical stage, in October 1934 Tang Shaoyi stood down from his post in the face of a mutiny arising from the so-called payment demands. The development of Zhongshan County and the Zhongshan Port came to a halt, the anticipated tax-free trade port set aside, the voices of reform going into hiding, a project nobody would dare endeavor again." [3]
From the late Qing to the Republic before 1949; from Xiangshan to Zhongshan; from the early reformists Zheng Guanying and Wang Shen, to the faithful revolutionist Tang Shaoyi—two great experiments and two ambitious endeavors met their fate at the hands of political complication. Whether an entire nation or simply a region, these two attempts and their subsequent failures are evidence that without a clear and liberal society to rely on, and without a civilized government to provide assurance, any economic reform would end in failure—no matter how grand, no matter how inspired, no matter how enthusiastic. The failures of Xiangshan and Zhongshan are in essence failures of modern China, and a reflection of the challenges China faced on the road to modernization.
As a sign of respect to Sun Yat-sen, I began my series of interviews nearby the Sun Yat-sen Memorial in the city's old town district. There is no comparison in size, fame or even historical value of this memorial to the original memorial on the site of the former President's office, but it captures the deep appreciation and admiration for Sun Yat-sen in his hometown.
Not far from the Sun Yat-sen Memorial lies the historic Sunwen Road. After the 1925 passing of Sun Yat-sen, roads named in honor of Sun Yat-sen simultaneously popped up across all of China—while the Sunwen Road of Xiangshan was still steadily making its way to completion. This road of late Ming Dynasty's industrial development witnessed not only the drastic progress of Xiangshan, but the political ups and downs between the Qing and the Republic.
On July 23, 1892, following his graduation and first-placing results at the Hong Kong Academy of Western Medicine, Sun Yat-sen began a philanthropic professional pursuit of medicine. He began as a doctor of Western medicine at Jinghu Hospital in Macao, but due to intervention of the Portuguese authorities he later moved to Xianji Street of Xiguan area in Guangzhou, starting his own pharmaceutical business on what is now the north part of Beijing Road. At the same time, he also entered a partnership, starting a smaller franchise outlet in Xiangshan County. This pharmacy is located on today's Sunwen Road. It could be said that this road captures his journey from curing human illness to curing a country's economy and government.
My series of interviews in Zhongshan were a discovery of Xiangshan culture, but also an acquaintance with the making of modern China. All of those great figures from Zhongshan, once active in building and reforming modern China, have given us a clear blueprint for China's future. This is the unique and precious gem of Zhongshan.
I journeyed all the way from Sunwen Road to Cuiheng Village, in search of the heart of Chinese democratic reform—the Former Residence and Memorial of Sun Yat-sen. This was both his birthplace and the place where he began his journey to "save a nation" with the composition of his recommendation to the then Prime Minister Li Hongzhang.
When compared with the modern memorial now standing nearby, Sun Yat-sen's residence has a striking historical ambience. The relics of history will always be more vivid, more substantial and more moving than anything we can put into a glass case exhibition.
After I passed through the Western-style courtyard gate, the first thing I noticed was a tamarind tree—a tree which had grown from the seeds Sun Yat-sen brought back from his trip to Honolulu in 1883 and planted himself. Despite the passing of over a century, the tree remains, as vibrant and full of life as before. Just as the fields cultivated by Sun's ancestors were coined "the dragon fields," this tamarind tree was the first of famous trees in the birthplace of Sun Yat-sen, which was named "sleeping dragon."
A few steps forward is a small west-facing two-story residence. Sun Yat-sen designed it, and his older brother Sun Mei paid for the construction. Legend has it that Sun Yat-sen was the only resident to build a west-facing residence in a town of completely east-facing residences. This is probably a reflection of his tendency to swim against the current, even from his youth.
The red brick and wood house is immediately identifiable as a fusion of Chinese and Western architectural styles, both stories furnished with seven decorative arched doors, the roof embellishing an aureole under which is a flying eagle with a coin in its mouth. The interior of the house follows traditional Guangdong architectural style—a central hall, surrounded on the left and right by two side rooms, and four grey walls, divided by white lines. At the back of the first level is his mother's bedroom, and to the left of the hall is Sun Yat-sen and his former wife Lu Muzhen's bedroom; to the right Sun Mei and his wife surnamed Tan's bedroom. On the second floor, the middle is empty, to the back is a shrine, to the left a guestroom and to the right Sun Yat-sen's study.
I spent countless hours lingering and pondering in Sun Yat-sen's study that day. My eyes were fixed upon that wooden armchair next to the window, the dusty old desk and oil lamp, imagining him sitting there back in January 1894, not leaving the house for ten full days, passionately writing that proposal to Prime Minister Li Hongzhang. Due to his submission time just before the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-1895, his proposal was received coldly, but became a defining turning point in his journey to democratic reform.
Stepping out of Sun Yat-sen's study, I felt an instant rush—I was filled with enthusiasm, and was ready to set forth on my journey to Tianjin, to Beijing, in search of those defining footprints left behind by this great reformist…
IN JUNE 1894, Sun Yat-sen and companion Lu Haodong went from Guangzhou northward to Beijing and Tianjin to submit their recommendations to Prime Minister Li Hongzhang. A hundred and four years later, I departed from the young Chinese city of Shenzhen, following the very same path in search of answers to the secrets of history.
In the modern Beijing of late July 2008, a fresh, urban city of the 21st century is an unfamiliar one. The massive new airport terminal, the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube and a plethora of other postmodernist buildings are strikingly distant from traditional impressions of the ancient city, blurring history and memories of the past in a rapid spiral of modernization. But at the same time, the warm welcoming smiles of volunteers at every corner and the flowers everywhere in the atmosphere as the Olympics drew near tried to bring the city closer to the world.
After a century of great changes, the Beijing Sun Yat-sen visited on his first journey is long gone. But no matter how great the changes or how modern the city becomes as it develops, it will always capture within in the cultural relics and memory of Sun Yat-sen and his plight.
In the 1920s, the central Chang'an Avenue was originally named Zhongshan Road. However due to the later construction of Tian'anmen Square, Zhongshan Road was absorbed by Chang'an Avenue. When celebrations are held on this famous location, the former location of Zhongshan Road is decorated with large portraits of Sun Yat-sen, revering the past among the festivities of today. The terminator of imperial rule and founder of a republic government stands tall at the center of a nation, as his eyes fixate on the nation's development, the changes he influenced and the path ahead…
Tian'anmen Square lies at the heart of Chang'an Avenue. The Chang'an Avenue of the past spanned 7.4 li[4] from the Dongdan to Xidan, and was formally named "the great street of ten li." Years later, the Chang'an Avenue spanning from Fuxingmen to Jianguomen was of length 13.4 li. Today, Chang'an Avenue spans from Shijingshan in the west to Tongzhou in the east, and is of length 84 li—dubbed "the great road of a hundred li."
Whether the Chang'an Avenue of "ten li" or "a hundred li," both are of extraordinary significance in the development of modern China. With Tian'anmen Square at its heart, the once Zhongshan Road, now Chang'an Avenue, is truly the great stage of the Chinese nation.
In 1919, the cries for democracy and science were heard in the May Fourth Movement; in 1925, the people of Shanghai opposed imperialism in the May Thirtieth Movement; in 1935, a nation came together in the face of extinction at the hands of Japanese invasion in the December Ninth Movement; in 1947, the "corrupt and tarnished" Kuomintang heard protests against hunger, civil war and persecution; and in 1949, the hopes of millions were realized in the founding of a new nation…
Today, there are over two million pots of flowers placed along Chang'an Avenue, capturing the fusion of the very essence of China and the excitement of the Olympics in the "first avenue of the nation." In Tian'anmen Square, a bed of flowers forms a feature display dubbed "Chinese Seal—Dancing Beijing" ; on both sides of the Xinhua Gate are red paper lanterns, hanging from vibrant green trees; at Fuxingmen is a display of blue and white porcelain; at Wangfujing the year "2008" has been shaped from flowers into the form of a dragon…
Chang'an Avenue, Beijing, China all seem to use flowers in ushering in new chapters in China's history. But in our pride and celebration, we should not forget that what shaped China was not flowers, but letting go of the past, and having the courage and vision to move forward.
After recording my series of interviews on Chang'an Avenue, I made way for my next destination: Zhongshan Park. Zhongshan Park, formerly the Altar of Land and Grain, is situated to the northwest of Tian'anmen Square, opposite the Imperial Ancestral Temple (present the Cultural Palace of Working People). This was where the emperors of the Qing and Ming dynasties made sacrifice to the gods of land and grain. As a tribute to Sun Yat-sen, it was renamed Zhongshan Park in 1928.
It has been more than ten years since I last visited Zhongshan Park. Long gone is my memory of the scenery of that visit, but to this day remains a most deep impression of the millennium tree at this altar. The grains across the trunk of the tree are almost like the marks of a knife, but at the same time they are like a web of veins, slashed across the trunk of the tree into an uninviting texture, almost as if to conceal some sort of secret not for human eyes deep within the tree. Those scars are the growth rings; they are the hardships and struggles, what history has left behind for us today and in the future.
But this time was unlike any other. This time, I came for one target, one person—Sun Yat-sen. Thus, I made straight for the Zhongshan Hall.
The Zhongshan Hall was formally known as the Hall of Prayer—5-bay wide and 3-bay deep, occupying an area of 950.4 sq m. It served as a shelter from rain and wind when emperors made offerings. The Hall of Prayer is the largest, most magnificent piece of architecture along the central line of the altar, and it is the oldest remaining Ming Dynasty structure. After the 1925 passing of Sun Yat-sen, his coffin was temporarily kept in this place. Following the public ceremony, it was moved, again temporarily, to the Temple of Azure Clouds in Xiangshan Park.
In 2002, the department concerned began renovations of the Zhongshan Hall, and on November 12, the 136th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birthday, it was reopened to the public. The reopening also saw the installment of a white marble statue of a seated Sun Yat-sen. The statue is 2.1 meters tall, the base and platform 1.5 meters high. Inscribed on the statue are the famous words of Sun Yat-sen— "the world for all" .
Outside the Zhongshan Hall, the park is home to another historical treasure—a bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen. Among the forest of trees north of the lane of "Peace Preservation" lies the bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen. 3.4 meters tall and 1.8 tons in weight, atop a black stone platform—inscribed on the front is Deng Xiaoping's own handwriting: "Long live the great revolutionary Sun Yat-sen."
This statue was proposed in March 1983 by some 54 members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and after approval was constructed in November 1986 as part of the 120th anniversary celebrations of his birthday.
Thinking simply about the year of 1983 and 1986, I find myself lost in an array of thoughts. The 1980s was a time where not only was there reflection, but also hope; not only was there reason, but also compassion; not only were there ideals, but also the boldness to act; lost, but with the bravery to explore and discover. This truly was a golden age for China. The Chinese people stood as one, not only initiating the "opening up" reforms, but also seeing through their development.
The next day, I arrived in Tianjin.
Upon my arrival, I went straight to my hotel on Zhongshan Road—from dusk till dawn, I was on the lookout. This road is famous due to the nearby Zhongshan Park, where Sun Yat-sen once gave a public speech.
I took a taxi to Harbin Road, Heping District, in search of the Fozhao Hotel where Sun Yat-sen once stayed on his 1894 visit to Prime Minister Li Hongzhang. Along the way, I noticed many construction sites, hidden by surrounding fences. Taxi drivers in Tianjin are well versed in Chinese crosstalk, spending the entire journey talking to their passenger. Today's topic was, of course, the football matches that would be held in Tianjin as part of the Olympics—something this driver was filled with excitement about—but I was simply excited about getting closer and closer to the footprints left behind by Sun Yat-sen. Nearby Harbin Road, suddenly the driver stopped—he was lost! The road had made an abrupt transition to a one-way street, and ahead was yet another fenced off construction site. The driver explained to me that this was just how things were in Tianjin. Demolishing here and constructing there, not even locals can find their way around the mess that the roads have become. I got out of the car, making foot for Harbin Road, in search of that hotel Sun Yat-sen once stayed at…
The doubts and worries of Tianjin's roads today are a sacrifice for a modern city's more prosperous future. You can feel their hope and pride implied in their speech.
But 100 years ago—even centuries ago—we as a nation were faced with the puzzle and confusion of our development road, the debate and exploration of our future, and the desire and practice to make us strong.
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