The Man Who Ended an Empire: The Legacy of Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen stands out in the history of China as the individual who helped to bring an end to the Chinese empire which lasted for more than 2,000 years and several different dynasties. Sun is often regarded as the father of modern China for this very reason as well. He was the man who led a rebellion which led to China’s transition away from the tradition of dynastic rule towards a republic.
The circumstances around Sun’s struggle are just as fascinating as the man himself. The Chinese empire during this period of time was declining. China was defeated by Western nations in two separate Opium Wars in 1842 and 1860. China was also defeated by Japan in 1895. Not only was China being defeated by foreign powers, but there were internal problems as well. China was plagued by natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and famines. The ruling Qing dynasty at the time was doing little to alleviate the suffering of the Chinese people. This eventually led to the bloody Taiping Rebellion which was led by Hong Xiuquan. The aim of this rebellion was to overthrow the Qing dynasty to establish a new society. By the time that rebellion was successfully defeated in 1864, millions of Chinese were killed due to the conflict.
Sun was born in 1866. He developed a tendency for rebellion early in his life. In 1879, he went to Hawaii to study with his brother. There Sun was introduced to Western culture and converted to Christianity. This exposure to Western culture and ideas influenced Sun’s views on the Chinese society which he returned to in 1883. He was forced to leave his village after he had defaced idols at a local temple. This incident is significant because it marked Sun’s challenge of Chinese tradition. In Sun’s view, China was being held back by an unwillingness to break with tradition to modernize China.
Sun eventually challenged the Qing dynasty, which put him at great risk. Sun and others who supported his cause often had to deal with the brutal suppression of their movement by the Qing dynasty. Sun went into exile where he traveled the world to raise funds for the struggle in China. After several failed attempts at toppling the Qing dynasty, a successful revolution finally broke out in 1911. In the aftermath of the revolution, Sun returned to China where he became the provisional president of the new republic.
New problems emerged in the new republic. A military commander named Yuan Shikai seized power. Following Yuan’s death, China fell into conflict among competing warlords. Sun could do little but watch as China was thrown into chaos. Sun spent the final years of his life advocating for an end to the conflicts which were dividing China. Sun died in 1925. A testament to his impact and influence on China’s history is the fact that though the Communist Party and the Nationalist Party waged a brutal civil war among each other, one of the few things both sides shared in common was their mutual admiration for Sun Yat-sen.
