Sun Yat-sen

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Tom Giles History 420R Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen is a unique figure in China’s history. He became president of the Kuomintang party at the age of 45, having only lived in China for a short period of his life. From a young age, Sun was exposed to diverse cultures and would continue through out his life to be influenced by western social and political ideas. As a result of his increased exposure to other cultures he began to question certain superstitions and dogmas taught in Chinese society that he felt was stunting China’s social and political progression. It is unclear if Sun would have been a successful statesman and policy maker because he never had an opportunity to lead a unified China; however, what is clear is that he did not use his position to gain wealth or affluence. Sun’s desire to break from tradition and help China attain high goals towards becoming a more independent and powerful nation would cause many hardships in his life, but would eventually allow him to become incredibly influential on Chinese society even today. Sun was born the son of a struggling farmer on 12 November 1866 in the Kwangtung province, which is approximately 26 km from Macao. For the first 13 years of his life, Sun grew up working on the farm having little opportunity of acquiring a formal education. In 1879, Sun’s successful brother Sun Mei who was currently living and working in Honolulu as a store owner and land developer requested that Sun Yat-sen come live and work with him in Hawaii. Shortly after his request Sun Yat-sen boarded a ship headed for Honolulu. While on his voyage Sun would be impressed by the ships advanced technology and the crew’s superior knowledge of travel, but would be bewildered by their ignorance and lack of knowledge about Confucianism. Once in Hawaii, Sun Yat-sen began working for his brother as a bookkeeper in his store. Although there was a relatively great deal of money to be made following in his brother’s footsteps, he found little joy in his new job. Sun Yat-sen requested an opportunity to attend school, which at the time was a practical decision because of the prospective jobs he could have in the future if he knew English and understood western ideas. Sun Yat-sen would eventually enroll in the Iolani School probably the 2nd most prestigious private school on the island at the time. Iolani was a Christian school directed by the Anglican prelate, Bishop Willis. Although Sun spoke little to others about his experiences at Iolani, it undoubtedly changed his life forever. Here Sun, although un-baptized at the time, would become converted to Christianity. He would meet powerful Caucasian leaders who respected his culture and ethnicity unlike those who were in China during the Opium Wars. Most importantly, he would see Hawaiians progress socially, economically, and educationally by disregarding certain superstitions in their society, and becoming open to western and European cultures. Eventually Sun Yat-sen would approach his brother for permission to be baptized into Christianity towards the end of his education at Iolani. This request incensed Sun Mei, who was ultra-conservative at the time, and although lacking in understanding of the classics still had great respect for Chinese tradition. As a result, Sun Mei would send his little brother back to China after his graduation to hopefully overcome the poor influence the foreigners had on him during his time in Hawaii. Once in China, many viewed his new behavior as radical and disrespectful. He challenged the many idols and gods that his village had been worshiping to the point that the elders responsible for the protection of the temple banished him from the community. It is apparent that he saw his village as naïve, backward, and content on living subsistence lives, and was frustrated by their lack of motivation to search for something better. What is so impressive about Sun is that he was an eternal optimist always willing to act. He may not have been the greatest political mind of his time, and there were many other leaders in his day with better philosophies and ideas of how to lead China that would eventually fall by the wayside, because they lacked his tenacity, humility, and vision. Not long after Sun had been banished from home he traveled to Hong Kong where he was baptized and in due course would enter medical school at Queens College. He would become one of two students to complete training, and would take with him the vast majority of the awards and honors offered by the school board at the time. While attending college he began to make contacts with others who were anti-dynastic, and unhappy with the lack of opportunity that the majority of the population had during this period of time as a result of deficient exams and a corrupt political system. Sun claimed later in life to have only attended medical school to begin planting the seeds of revolution. Whether this is true or not, it is clear that Suns time in Hong Kong became a formative era in his life, full of influential acquaintances and increased knowledge that would help shape his political ideals and his desire to lead a revolution for a more independent, socialized, powerful China. Although Sun Yat-sen would continue to be fascinated by medicine his entire life, he left his practice which was a combination of Eastern and Western medicine to pursue a political career. After several failed attempts to gain the attention of Li Hung-chang, a respected and somewhat liberal gentry, he sailed back to Hawaii to begin forming a secret political assembly called the Revive China Society. His vision was that the Revive China Society would eventually spread to China, and that they would become the means to the “over throw of the Manchus,” the catalyst that brought back “the restoration of China back to the Chinese” and the leaders that “established a Republican Government in China.”(Schiffrin 43) Following Sun’s campaign in Hawaii, he returned to Hong Kong and continued working towards political progression and the establishment of the Revive China Society in Asia. Although he favored assistance from certain demographics, Sun would be well known for his ability to work with all social classes towards his objectives. His family’s social background gave him the humility to work with citizens from similar origins, and his education and brothers wealth helped him maintain an image of capability and relative respect to those from higher social stations. Still progress and the realization of his aspirations was an up-and-down process that required extreme patience and resilience. He would have to bare the usurpation of power by Yang Chu-yun a competing power in the Revive China Society. He would be forced into exile after several failed attempts to over throw the Qing dynasty. While in exile he would live in America, Japan, and Great Britain. During his time in Great Britain, Sun was arrested by Chinese officials for 12 days and would have been executed had the British Government not intervened and coordinated his release. Soon many revolutionaries began to questions Sun’s leadership ability due to the numerous failed attempts to unite China under a republican government. Despite these, and various other difficulties, Sun maintained an optimistic outlook and continued to champion his ideals. Although he had little success in leading an uprising that unified China, he was able to keep the revolutionary flame burning in China and unite diverse parties towards similar goals. Sun eventually co-founded another political party in China called the Kuomintang and would became their first leader. He returned again to China with another unsuccessful attempt to unite China, but as a result of his continued efforts he was able to counter the warlords quest for power. Even in death the communists and the Kuomintang claimed to be the rightful heirs of his legacy. Sun Yat-sen had an incredible impact on society. In many ways his life reflects the complexities of Chinese society. The difficulty they have experienced in trying to blend Western ideologies with Eastern culture, the struggle for power with in their government and the establishment of social equality. Although he saw little resolve towards his lofty ambitions for China he is considered one of the most influential leaders in Chinese history for his persistent endeavor to achieve them.

Bibliography

Schiffrin, Harold Z. Sun Yatzen and the Origins of the Chinese Revolution. Berkley and Los Angeles: Universit of California, 1968. Print.