Absorbing the experiences and lessons of his predecessors, borrowing the success of Western nations, Sun Yat-sen led China on a revolutionary, ideal "Zhongshan Road." Therefore, the "Zhongshan Road" is not just a path of revolution. It is the path of construction and of development.
Of all the "Zhongshan Trails," Zhongshan Road in Taiwan is the densest. It encompasses almost every city on the island. Sun Yat-sen belongs to the Chinese people, and to Chinese civilization. The Mainland and Taiwan breathe as one, and they are one-another's lifeblood.
As the nation celebrates 60th anniversary since its founding, we look back on our nation's arduous path toward modernization to better grasp the future.
ZENG GUOFAN's founding of the Anqing Ordnance in 1861 was the prelude to the Westernization Movement. Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Rong Hong, Zheng Guanying, Tang Tingshu, Liang Qichao, Zhang Jian…generation after generation of pioneers stepby-step led China along the road to modernization. They endured the hardships of the darkness, searching for a bright future for our nation.
After absorbing the lessons of his predecessors and the West, Sun Yat-sen set our nation on the ideal path toward prosperity: the "Zhongshan Trail." He is an ever-standing monument in China's modern history. His name is that history of resistance; his name is the tune of freedom and democracy; his name is a spirit of conviction and non-submission; his name is the ideal of China's rejuvenation.
Throughout the past century, he inspired generations of revolutionaries, sharing his same ideals, walking the same paths he once walked. They persevered, carrying on his unfinished work, searching for a civilization's way forward, for freedom, for civility, for progress, for prosperity and for a powerful New China.
Mao Zedong called Sun Yat-sen the "great revolutionary pioneer." He said, "Save for a handful of reactionaries, the people of contemporary China are all successors in the revolutionary cause to which Dr. Sun Yat-sen dedicated himself." [95]
Deng Xiaoping said, "From the beginning of the Opium War, China became a semi-feudal society. The Chinese people famously became the 'sick men of Eastern Asia.' A century later, insightful men of conviction such as Sun Yat-sen were searching for the path forward. Sun Yat-sen learned from the West, namely Western capitalism. Later, Sun decided Western capitalism was flawed, and began-learning from Russia.' Following the Russian October Revolution, the Kuomintang and CPC began cooperation, leading to the success of the Northern Expedition." [96]
Jiang Zemin said, "At a time when China was suffering internally and externally, at a time when poverty plagued the nation, Sun Yat-sen began his calls for 'rejuvenation.' He clarified that 'the sole purpose of revolution is reconstruction,' and in his Nation Building Strategy, among other works, he devised the blueprints for modern industry, transport and agriculture, demonstrating a bold vision for the future of China. He believed that in order to catch up with the Western world, 'liberal ideology' and 'learning from the strengths of the foreign nations' were the way forward. He emphasized national sovereignty and unity, and was against any act of splitting the nation, stating 'unity is the hopes and dreams of the Chinese people. Should we unify the nation, people across the country should enjoy a happy and prosperous life. If we fail to unite, they will suffer." Sun Yat'sen's great patriotic spirit and lofty ideals for the Chinese people of today, at home and abroad, as they build a modern socialist nation, as they seek prosperity, resound as inspiration, guidance and encouragement. [97]
Hu Jintao said, "The Chinese Communist Party are the firmest supporters of Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary cause. We are his closest collaborators, and his most loyal successors. Sun Yat-sen always has, and always will be a close friend of the Chinese Communist Party. After his death, the Party inherited his legacy, to unite the nation and win a new democratic revolution, achieve national independence, liberate the people, build a nation governed by the people, and implement a large-scale socialist system. Especially since the reform and opening up, the Chinese Communist Party has united and led people of all ethnic groups in the Chinese nation ahead on the road of Chinese socialism. Our achievements are the envy of the rest of the world. Thinking back, we can comfort Sun Yat-sen in that the poor and weak Old China he spent his life fighting to change is gone for good. The Chinese people's lives have improved beyond his wildest imaginations. The modern China of his dreams is today a reality. The great rejuvenated China and the nation's bright prospects are before our eyes." [98]
In 1894, Sun Yat-sen left his hometown, Cuiheng Village, Xiangshan County, Guangdong in pursuit of the great ideal of "rejuvenation of China." His arduous effort, exploration and discovery finally realized this ideal "Zhongshan Trail." He is truly deserving the title of a brave pioneer in his search for China's road to revolution. His life was one of legendary twists and turns. His successes, setbacks and failures are priceless heritage. His experiences and achievements set the example for the transformation of the Old China, and construction of the New China.
For decades, especially since the founding of the People's Republic, the resolute CPC pushed forward, through sun and rain,
finally making the "rejuvenation of China" a reality. China continues its journey toward a bright future along the road of modernization.
One hundred and four years after Sun Yat-sen's formal proposal for the rejuvenation of China, 60 years after the founding of the People's Republic, as a historical explorer and realistic thinker, I followed the Zhongshan Trails from North to South, the path of history that led us to where we are today, and the future we walk toward. The Zhongshan Trails are witnesses to a century of great significance.
FROM PAST TO present, in China and the rest of the world, there have been many great figures throughout human history. Sun Yat-sen, however, is the only one with 187 roads named in his honor. From North to South, past to present, this network is a historical and cultural phenomenon worth examining.
In 1925, following the death of Sun Yat-sen, the Guangzhou Revolutionary Government ordered the commemorative naming of roads, parks and schools after Sun Yat-sen. This was the beginning of the Zhongshan Road. However, as the Northern Expedition had not yet been undertaken, the Guangzhou government had limited jurisdiction. So, the earliest Zhongshan Roads are all located in Guangdong and Hainan Island. With the victorious Northern Expedition and the Kuomintang's unification of the nation, "Zhongshan" road-naming reached its peak. Most of the Zhongshan Roads appeared between 1927 and 1929.
Aside from the Zhongshan roads of Nanjing and Shanghai, which were part of the Nanjing government's construction plan after its founding in 1927 and the Zhongshan Road of Zhongshan City (constructed in the 1980s under the reform and opening up policy), most of the Zhongshan Roads were renamed existing roads. The Zhongshan Roads symbolize innovation, reform and development. Whether they were new, reconstructed or developed, each road has its own unique historical value.
The Zhongshan Road of Qingdao is not wide, not long or flat. These ups and downs, twists and turns capture the humiliations, struggles and glories of China's modern history. Every change in the naming of this road is reflective of a change in the times, of rises and falls in national fortune.
In 1897, the Germans seized Qingdao. The next year, they forced the Qing government to sign the Sino-German Treaty and began the construction of the Jiaozhou-Jinan Railway. Thus, a heavyduty road connecting to the pier was constructed. Back then, the Zhongshan Road of today was called Friedrich Road. Upon it were row-upon-row of Western businesses, cafes, bars, ballrooms, hotels and other European-style buildings. From street names to buildings, this Chinese city and its jurisdiction belonged to Germany.
In 1914, Japan replaced the Germans as colonial rulers. Back then, today's Zhongshan Road was called "Aooka-cho." Passed from one invader to another, it still had nothing to do with China.
In 1922, Qingdao was finally recovered. The road was finally given a Chinese name: Shandong Road. In 1929, in memory of Sun Yat-sen, the road was renamed Zhongshan Road. From that point forward, Qingdao's Zhongshan Road ushered in a new era of prosperity that finally belonged to the Chinese people. To either side of the street were the Adams Building (the first department store in Qingdao), the Qingdao Coffeehouse Hotel (today's Qingdao Hotel), summer retreat hotels, domestic goods companies, the Ruifuxiang Silk Shop, the Qianxiangyi Cloth Store, the Shengxifu Footwear Store, the Hengdeli Clock and Eyewear Store, the Chunhelou Restaurant, the Shandong Theater (today's China Cinema), the Bank of China, the Bank of Communications, the Industrial Bank as well as Qingdao Artifacts Stores, the Qilu Painting and Colligraphy Society and hundreds of family business establishments, both old and new. A popular catchphrase circulated the streets of Qingdao at the time: "Qianxiangyi on the body, Shengxifu on the feet, Hengdeli on the wrist, drinking at the Chunhelou Restaurant." The children were even clearer in their own aspirations. "One, two, one, in the street buy bags and stationary, in exams get Number 1." The Zhongshan Road was the well-deserving commercial and financial center, shopping center and entertainment center of Qingdao.
When Sun Yat-sen visited Qingdao, it was still under the control of German colonists. Here he started the struggle against imperialism with the people of Qingdao.
In September 1912, Sun Yat-sen arrived in Jinan from Beijing to inspect the railway construction. After hearing this news, political, academic, business and other sectors invited him to Qingdao. The people of Qingdao were filled with enthusiasm, making banners, lanterns and putting up slogan posters in early preparation for Sun Yat-sen's visit. However, the German Qingdao Governor was afraid of the rise of a democratic revolutionary force and Sun Yat-sen's propagation of ideals of national sovereignty and political publicity. He prepared personnel to stop the welcoming activity, and publicly defamed Sun Yat-sen. This angered the business community in Qingdao. Thousands of citizens from the Qi-Yan Guild Hall, San Jiang Guild Hall, Guangdong Guild Hall, Qingdao Chamber of Commerce, among other business communities, surrounded the Governor's mansion in protest. Eventually, he was forced to compromise and prepared a grand welcoming ceremony.
Sun Yat-sen was touched by the efforts of the people of Qingdao, despite their German authorities. He said, while he did not visit many cities in this trip to the North, as the only foreign-ruled territory, Qingdao was a place particularly worthy of inspection.
On the 28th of September 1912, Sun Yat-sen and his party took the Jiaozhou-Jinan Railway from Jinan to Qingdao. At 6 p.m. that evening, Sun Yat-sen and his party arrived at the Qingdao Railway Station. Outside the railway station the seas of people and the deafening pounding of drums became a sea of joy and excitement. The German guard of honor lined up to greet him, rolling out a red carpet from the station's exit to the center of the square. The Governor stood at the front of the welcoming party, rushing forth to say, "Mr. President your Excellency, I welcome you on behalf of the people of Qingdao, please accept my most sincere greetings!"
After the handshake and hug, Sun Yat-sen kindly declined his car and banquet, staying in the square for a short while, before leading the party to the Sand Beach Hotel.
Sun Yat-sen's visit became an unforgettable memory for the people of Qingdao. In 1925, after Sun Yat-sen's passing in Beijing, the Qingdao branch of the CPC and the Kuomintang held a joint memorial service. In 1929, Shandong Road was renamed Zhongshan Road, and the First Park was renamed Zhongshan Park. On National Day in 2001, the Qingdao Municipal Government erected a statue of Sun Yat-sen in Zhongshan Park, as a symbol of the people of Qingdao's respect and longing for Sun Yat-sen.
Today, Qingdao's Zhongshan Road has become an important local tourist attraction, as an "old street." In the summer of 2008, I strolled down this century-old street, each step as if to step through time.
We are moving from history into the future.
ZHONGSHAN Road in Taiwan is probably the densest: Taipei City, Taipei County, Taichung City, Taichung County, Tainan City, Tainan County, Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung County, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County…Zhongshan Road passes through every city and county on the island, and even some villages and townships. Because Sun Yat-sen belongs to the Chinese people, and to Chinese civilization. The Mainland and Taiwan breathe as one, sharing the same lifeblood.
In the 2000 third edition of Yanhuang Chunqiu, a documentary monthly, He Biao's article "Sun Yat-sen's Four Visits to Taiwan" was published. It is still widely reproduced throughout major news websites today. In this article, the author describes Sun's impact on Taiwan:
Under the influence of the Xinhai Revolution Sun led, between 1912 and 1915, the Taiwanese people launched numerous revolts against the Japanese colonial rule in Nantou, Chiayi, Taichung, Tainan, Miaoli and Taipei. They were, however, met with violent suppression. The China Revolutionary Alliance member Luo Fuxing's anti-Japanese uprising in Miaoli resulted in the arrest of 1,211 people. Before his execution, Luo Fuxing left behind his awe-inspiring confession. Within it were four lines of poetry: "Sun: the true hero of the Chinese people. Yat: conviction, joy and sympathy. Sen: the hero is sick. Savior: sacrificing himself for the rescue of the people." Putting together the first character of each line gives: "Sun Yat-sen—Savior." As he faced his fate, Luo Fuxing still held reverence and hope for Sun Yat-sen.
In 1920, under the influence of the May Fourth Movement and international ideological waves, Taiwanese intellectuals focused on the development of the Chinese revolution. They placed their hopes in breaking away from Japanese suppression in the success of the revolution. In the early 1920s, the magazine New Youth Taiwan published an article: "To save Taiwan, we must first save the motherland! For the Taiwanese revolution to succeed, the Chinese revolution must first succeed. Only when China is strong can Taiwan recover. Only when China is strong can Taiwan break free from the shackles of the Japanese bandits." The so-called "Chinese revolution" referred to in the article was indeed the old democratic revolution led by Sun Yat-sen. [99]
Following the 1945 recovery of Taiwan, many previously Japanese street names were changed to Zhongshan Roads in memory of Sun Yat-sen.
In Taipei, the "Imperial Envoy Street" (in 1923, Japanese Emperor Hirohito and his royal envoy passed through this street) was renamed to Zhongshan Road North. This is the most important avenue connecting north and south in Taipei. On this wide street, divided into seven sections, lies the Sun Yat-sen Historical Museum, the Zhongshan Market, the Ambassador Hotel, Taipei Broadcasting Station, the Zhongshan Fine Arts Park, the Zhongshan Stadium, the Grand Hotel, Intellectual Mansion and many other cultural, entertainment and recreational facilities.
Just like Zhongshan Road North, Zhongshan Road South is a key piece of transportation infrastructure in Taipei. Originally paved as a road for the demolition of the Government mansion's east wall by the Japanese, it was once called the Sanxian (three-line) Road. After the recovery, it gradually developed as the political center of Taipei, constructing a Supervision Ministry, Legislative Ministry, Education Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry and other important institutions, as well as other cultural facilities including the Zhongshan Memorial Hall, the National Library of Taiwan and the National Taiwan University Hospital.
In addition, the Shinseihashitsu in Taichung, the Daitsu Street in Chiayi City and Showadori in Kaohsiung are now called Zhongshan Road. Every Zhongshan Road is not only the most important traffic artery, but also captures the history of each city.
The Zhongshan Roads of Taiwan have another special characteristic. Not only do they exist in various urban centers throughout north and south, but even within small townships. The Danshuei, Yingge, Jinshan, Shimen, Bali and many other townships each have their own Zhongshan Road. In Taiwan, the admiration, the appreciation and memory of Sun Yat-sen are deeply felt throughout the people.
THE ZHONGSHAN Road in Zhongshan City of Guangdong Province, the hometown of Sun Yat-sen, is the starting point for all of the Zhongshan Roads. However, before the reform and opening up years, it did not have a Zhongshan Road, only a Sunwen Road.
Zhongshan City's Zhongshan Road was gradually built and opened up, along with the progress of China's reform and opening up. It is not only the newest and widest of the Zhongshan Roads, it is a road of reform, a road of opening up.
In the early 1980s, the Zhongshan Municiple Government began expansion and construction on the foundation of the former Remin Road and Changzhou Road, completed in the summer of 1989. Along the road are modern buildings such as the Zhongshan International Hotel, the Xiangshan Hotel, the Polygram Hotel, as well as newly developed businesses including the Zhongshan Weaving Factory and the Shiqi Pharmaceutical Company.
This Zhongshan Road is penetrating. From Zhongshan Road One to Zhongshan Road Six, in the west joining the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Highway, in the east joining the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway and the Zhongshan Port. Not only joining the Mainland and the ocean, it joins several surrounding towns, clustering together to form a distinctive Zhongshan economic region.
The metal fittings and small tools fixed in buildings and furniture of the Xiaolan Town, the decorative lamps of the Guzhen Town, preserved food processing of the Huangpu Town, the casual wear of the Shaxi Town, the mahogany furniture of the Dayong Town, the antique furniture of the Sanxiang Town, these developments from the "one town, one product" rapidly up to prestigious industrial clusters in the country, are all closely linked to the broad Zhongshan Road, leading to the country, even as far as overseas.
From Xiangshan to Zhongshan, a place named after revolutionary pioneer Sun Yat-sen: "For two centuries, Xiangshan led the trend, blessed with geographical fortune. Now, because of human fate, Xiangshan once again led the trend. Xiangshan and its surrounding regions opened the window of China to the outside world, and initiated China's opening up." [100]
The connection between people and their hometown is akin to the relationship between seeds and the land. Xiangshan nurtured and raised Sun Yat-sen—he is the bright light of Xiangshan culture.
Blessed with geographic and human fate, a meeting point of East and West, Xiangshan was a trend-setter. She gave modern China Zheng Guanying, Rong Hong, Tang Tingshu, Xu Run, Tang Shaoyi, Wang Yunwu and other prominent ideologists, industrialists, politicians and scholars. Each reflects a different angle of Xiangshan culture, each adds a ray to the bright light of Xiangshan. Sun Yat-sen, however, is the purest, most concentrated essence of Xiangshan.
The Zhongshan ethos of "love, innovation, harmony and tolerance" is the essence of contempory Xiangshan culture. Sun Yat-sen is the father of this culture.
Today, Sun Yat-sen's spirit of "fraternity" has developed further. Sun Yat-sen once said, "Four hundred million people's happiness lies in fraternity." This philosophy is deeply ingrained in the Zhongshan people's thinking and actions. Since Zhongshan was upgraded to prefecture-level in 1988, in line with rapid economic and social development, the people's spirit has also risen. In February that year, Zhongshan City held its first "mass philanthropy" fundraising campaign. Almost 100,000 people donated to the cause. From that point forward, on the seventh day of the first lunar month annually, the "respect the elderly, assist the disabled, feed the poor, help others" mass-philanthropy fundraising activity is held. This has already evolved into a new folk culture activity, fellow-townsmen carrying on the legacy of Sun Yat-sen.
Sun Yat-sen's life was one of "innovation" of countless firsts. Revolution is the greatest innovation. Today, the people of Zhongshan continue this spirit of innovation in thinking and development.
Centuries of Zhongshan people have had a natural talent for entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship has become a common occupation in Zhongshan, "a city for business." Currently, nearly a quarter of the Zhongshan population are businesspeople, one third of them their own boss. The Zhongshan entrepreneurial spirit is obvious.
First comes entrepreneurship, then innovation. Enterprise is the ideal medium for innovation. This commercial intuition for innovation played a crucial role in Zhongshan's economic development. Currently, it accounts for 1% of total Guangdong land area, 2.7% of population, and accounts for 4% of GDP. With a GDP of 120 billion, it is ranked fifth among 21 prefecture-level cities province-wide.
"Harmony" was Sun Yat-sen's lifelong aspiration. The aim of his revolution was to give the Chinese people a more harmonious, happier, better life. Today, with the implementation of universal social security in Zhongshan City, it has become one of "China's ten happiest cities."
Tolerance is a state of mind. Sun Yat-sen's ability to learn from China, the West, the old and the new is in itself a kind of tolerance. In his later years, the "form alliance with the Soviet Russia, work with the CPC and support agriculture and industry" policy is the essence of this spirit. Xiangshan culture is a complex mix of Central Plains, Lingnan, Hakka, Taiwanese, Southeast Asian and Western cultures. The spirit of it, by nature, is tolerance.
In the era of reform and opening up, the Zhongshan people inherited the legacy of Sun Yat-sen, "love, innovation, harmony and tolerance," the values they held at heart.
Sun Yat-sen is Zhongshan's, but he is also China's. Sun Yat-sen's spiritual thinking is Zhongshan's, but also China's. "Zhongshan Road" is Zhongshan's, but also China's.
After countless cycles, the last few centuries, especially the 20th century, have finally released China from the shackles of poverty, and on a new path of prosperity. In search of a path to recovery and prosperity, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang started the Westernization Movement. Zheng Guanying and Tang Tingshu advocated industrial salvation. Rong Hong pushed education. Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao worked for a constitution. Song Jiaoren and Huang Xing hoped for parliament…In the end, it was Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People—nationalism, democracy and livelihood which became the revolutionary road for China.
As Sun's "firmest supporters, closest collaborators and most loyal successors," the CPC members have undertaken the mission of developing China into a modern power. Danger-defying, fearless, courageous and bold, the nation has finally embarked upon the road of prosperity and revitalization.
Today, as we celebrate 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, we advance proudly along the Zhongshan Trail!
And so, I dedicate this book to the motherland and her 60th anniversary, wishing her a civilized and prosperous future!
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