China News Service, Taipei, November 11th. Title: Looking for the historical echo of Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Taipei.
China News Service reporter Lu Mei
If you spread out the map, you will find that Taiwan has a high content of "Zhongshan". From the Sun Yat-sen Historical Museum, Zhongshan Road, Zhongshan Park, to Zhongshan Primary School, Zhongshan Middle School, and Sun Yat-sen University, most counties and cities have "Zhongshan" coordinates. Research shows that Sun Yat-sen visited Taiwan three times and stayed for more than 40 days. "It is Mr. Sun Yat-sen's spirit that has a profound impact on Taiwan." Wu Kuncai, a professor at Taiwan's Chiayi University, said during a recent forum in Taipei.
Zhongshan North Road in Taipei City was renamed from the colonial "Chishi Street" after the liberation of Taiwan. This road preserves the remains of Sun Yat-sen's revolution - the Japanese-style building "Umeyashiki". The hotel where he stayed when he came to Taiwan in 1913 is now the Sun Yat-sen Historical Museum.
Recently, Yixian Park, located in Section 1, Zhongshan North Road, Taipei City. The park retains the hotel "Umeyashiki" where Sun Yat-sen stayed when he came to Taiwan in 1913. It is now the Sun Yat-sen Historical Museum. Photo by China News Service reporter Lu Mei
In the photo in the museum, a 1925 "Taiwan People's Daily" report reported the news on March 24 of that year with the title "Taiwan's Aspiring Kai Mr. Sun's Memorial Service". On that day, more than 2,000 Taiwanese people braved the high pressure of the Japanese colonialists and rushed to the Dadaocheng Harbor Town Cultural Lecture in Taipei to commemorate Sun Yat-sen. A hundred years later, these words still convey the sorrow and solemnity of the scene.
"Taiwan People's Daily" was a Chinese newspaper founded by Taiwanese during the Japanese occupation. It was also an ideological position for intellectuals at that time to carry out national resistance, political enlightenment and cultural innovation.
The Sun Yat-sen Historical Museum in Taipei's Yixian Park displays a 1925 report from Taiwan Minbao. Photo by China News Service reporter Lu Mei
Taiwanese writer Yang Du said in an interview that Mr. Sun Yat-sen was a spiritual symbol of weak ethnic groups' resistance to colonial rule and had a great influence on the island's cultural circles. Lai He, Zhang Wejun, Lin Youchun and other important writers of "Taiwan People's Daily" praised Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary spirit, wrote condolences after his death, and withstood the pressure of the Japanese police to organize a memorial meeting.
Walking 10 minutes south from "Umeyashiki" along Zhongshan North Road, people can see the "Literature Road" along the pedestrian path of Zhongshan South Road. Carved on the floor tiles are the lives of Taiwanese writers such as Zhang Shenqie, Yang Hua, and Hong Qisheng, who used their pens as swords to resist Japanese colonial rule. Across the road, on the lintel of the entrance to National Taiwan University Hospital, a red banner commemorating Sun Yat-sen's birthday has been hung in advance.
After Taiwan was forced to cede to Japan, Sun Yat-sen proposed "restoring Taiwan and consolidating China", which made it clear that Taiwan and the motherland are connected by a shared destiny. Many passionate young people in Taiwan were deeply inspired to join the revolution.
"Represented by Lin Youchun and Lin Zumi, the Lin family in Wufeng supported Sun Yat-sen's revolution through both civil and military fronts." Lin Mingcong, Lin Youchun's grandson, said that the ancestors of the Lin family identified themselves as members of the Chinese nation. Under difficult circumstances, they still adhered to the concept of "having a country only has a family, and loving the family first loves the country." This coincided with Sun Yat-sen's philosophy of striving for the strength of the country and the people to live and work in peace and contentment.
Zhongshan South Road, Taipei City, taken recently. On the floor tiles of the "Literature Road" sidewalk, there are carvings of life stories and excerpts from the works of Taiwanese writers such as Lai He and Lin Youchun. Photo by China News Service reporter Lu Mei
Wu Kuncai pointed out that from Du Chongming and Weng Junming going to Beijing to assassinate Yuan Shikai, to Lin Zumi spending all his family wealth to follow the revolution, to Chiang Weishui participating in the founding of the "Taiwan Cultural Association"... "Sun Yat-sen established Asia's first democratic republic and became the object of admiration and imitation by the Taiwanese people under colonial rule. They believed that Taiwan (the anti-Japanese struggle) would one day succeed."
At present, Sun Yat-sen's imprint is deliberately downplayed by the Democratic Progressive Party authorities, but civil society organizations insist on relevant commemoration and research. Taiwan Meihua Media Group recently held the "Peaceful Struggle to Save China" Peace Vision Forum in Taipei to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen. Wang Chuozhong, chairman of the group, said that Sun Yat-sen was a great man respected by both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and he hoped that by commemorating Sun Yat-sen, we could jointly find a way out for the future of cross-Strait relations.
"History has proven that as long as there are Chinese people on this land, Chinese culture will never perish." Wu Kuncai said, "The busiest street in many counties and cities in Taiwan is Zhongshan Road. Young people often go on dates in Zhongshan Park; my father insisted on wearing Zhongshan clothes when he died. 'Zhongshan' has become a part of the Taiwanese people and has become a common life and memory for everyone."
Mr. Sun Yat-sen once said that "unification" is the hope of all Chinese people. If we can unify, the people of the country will enjoy happiness; if we cannot unify, we will suffer. Lin Mingcong said that Mr. Sun Yat-sen sought to strengthen the country and the people's better life, and inheriting Dr. Sun Yat-sen's spirit should be the goal of the joint efforts of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
