China News Service, Nanjing, November 12th: Question: Why does Zhongshan Road not only extend throughout China but also "extend" overseas?
——Exclusive interview with Hu Xiaobai, professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of History, Nanjing University, and director of the Historical Geography Research Center
China News Service reporters Cheng Li, Zhu Xiaoying and Zhong Sheng
November 12, 2026 is the 160th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Mr. Sun Yat-sen is a great national hero, a great patriot, and a great pioneer of China's democratic revolution. He cherishes the lofty ideal of "the world is for the common good and revitalizes China" and pursues lifelong pursuits for national independence, social progress, and people's happiness.
In 1928, in order to welcome Dr. Sun Yat-sen's coffin to be enshrined, the then National Government started construction of the Yingchun Avenue in Nanjing, which was later named "Zhongshan Avenue". This is the earliest modern urban trunk road systematically constructed in China, and it is also one of the first roads named after "Zhongshan" in China. Today, Zhongshan Road can be found in hundreds of cities in China, and there are also "Zhongshan" series of roads such as Zhongshan Street and Sun Yat-sen Avenue in Canada, Mauritius and other countries, becoming a vivid footnote for Chinese people around the world to commemorate Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
What significance does Nanjing Zhongshan Avenue have in the history of Chinese urban planning? How does naming a road after "Zhongshan" reflect the ideological changes in modern China? Why do Zhongshan Road spread all over China and "extend" overseas? Hu Xiaobai, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of History at Nanjing University and director of the Historical Geography Research Center, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" to answer this question.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service reporter: As an iconic modern urban thoroughfare in China, what significance does Nanjing’s Zhongshan Avenue have in the history of Chinese urban planning?
Hu Xiaobai: The significance of Nanjing Zhongshan Avenue in the history of Chinese urban planning can be understood from three aspects: systemic, cutting-edge and political.
First of all, it is systematic. Zhongshan Avenue reorganizes the urban space of Nanjing as a through-passage trunk road. It is about 12 kilometers long and forms a zigzag-shaped trunk road connecting three sections of Zhongshan North Road, Zhongshan Road and Zhongshan East Road today.
In the "Capital Plan", Zhongshan Avenue plays a key role as the baseline and urban central axis of the entire Nanjing city road network planning. Some people even call it the "Republic of China Meridian". As other main roads and branch roads are developed along this framework, government offices, residences, businesses and public facilities are gradually laid out. The systematic nature of Zhongshan Avenue is reflected in the fact that it links road construction with the spatial reorganization of the entire city.
The second is cutting-edgeness, which means systematically applying modern road and municipal construction methods on the basis of existing transportation changes. Zhongshan Avenue further expanded the thoroughfare capacity and spatial organization role of the main road based on the gradual formation of transportation connections between Nanjing's city and port at that time. In terms of traffic route design, trees are planted on both sides of Zhongshan Avenue to provide shade, dust prevention, road protection and environmental beautification, making the traffic arteries an important part of the city's public landscape. These practices reflect comprehensive considerations of transportation efficiency and environmental quality, and provide experience that can be used for reference in road construction in other cities.
Finally, there is the political aspect, which is to organically combine the national spirit with urban life through road construction and naming. The construction of Zhongshan Avenue was initially accelerated to welcome Sun Yat-sen's coffin. It has a distinct national commemorative nature. Along the way, names such as Zhongshan Pier, Zhongshan Road, Zhongshan Gate, Zhongshan Bridge, and Yixian Bridge (Sun Yat-sen's word "Yixian") echo each other and form a continuous commemorative space; together with other public facilities in Nanjing named after Sun Yat-sen and related concepts of the Three People's Principles, they form the "Zhongshan Place Name Group", and Sun Yat-sen's commemorative symbols continue to enter urban life. The transportation convenience and environmental improvement brought by roads have also been given the significance of realizing Sun Yat-sen's ideals of people's livelihood.
As a result, Zhongshan Avenue has not only become the skeleton of Nanjing's modern urban space, but also an important place where national commemorations, political symbols and citizens meet daily.
Reporter from China News Service: Ancient China did not advocate naming places after people. Naming roads after "Zhongshan" reflects what kind of ideological changes have occurred in modern China?
Hu Xiaobai: China has a tradition of "taboos for the venerable", and there are frequent instances of place names being changed to avoid taboos on emperors' names. Therefore, in the imperial era when "everything in the world belongs to the king's land", naming someone in a public space with the name of a contemporary figure is actually an act of transgression that challenges the order of etiquette and music.
The Revolution of 1911 overthrew the autocratic monarchy and also destroyed the cultural soil on which the taboo system relied on. After Dr. Sun Yat-sen passed away in 1925, his hometown, Xiangshan County, Guangdong, was the first to be renamed Zhongshan County (now Zhongshan City, Guangdong). Subsequently, major cities have named their main roads Zhongshan Road. Zhongshan Bridge, Zhongshan Park, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and other commemorative spaces have also sprung up. People walk through Zhongshan Road, relax in Zhongshan Park, and encounter the word "Zhongshan" every day. The commemoration of the revolutionary pioneers is no longer limited to ritual expressions.
Reporter from China News Service: Why do Zhongshan Roads spread all over the country and continue to this day?
Hu Xiaobai: An important reason why Zhongshan Road spreads all over the country and has been able to survive across a century of social and political changes is that Sun Yat-sen and the spirit he represented constituted the "greatest common denominator" of common values in modern Chinese society.
First of all, the widespread appearance of Zhongshan Road includes not only the commemorative emotions of all walks of life, but also the consideration of the National Government at that time to establish its own political legitimacy by commemorating Sun Yat-sen. Therefore, from the beginning of its formation, Zhongshan Road has had national commemorative significance beyond the local scope.
But to explain why it can continue for a long time, we need to see the broad recognition foundation of the Sun Yat-sen spirit. Its ideals of pursuing national independence, national rejuvenation, social progress and people's well-being, as well as value demands such as "revitalizing China" and "the world is for the common good", can gain widespread respect across political parties and regions. The so-called "greatest common denominator" refers to the basis of this common commemoration.
At the same time, long-term daily use has enabled Zhongshan Road to accumulate profound connotations of local life. For many city dwellers, it refers both to Sun Yat-sen and to familiar shops, schools, neighborhoods and personal upbringings. The shared commemoration at the national level thus overlaps with the urban memory of local society, providing a more solid social foundation for the continuation of road names. Of course, this continuity is not uninterrupted: some Zhongshan roads have been renamed and later restored to their original names, and some cities continue to use this name when building new roads. This shows that the survival of Zhongshan Road to this day is due to factors of historical use and the reaffirmation of common spiritual resources in different eras.
Reporter from China News Service: Why does Zhongshan Road appear overseas? What kind of linkage can be carried out on Zhongshan Road between China and foreign countries to contribute to cultural exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations between China and foreign countries?
Hu Xiaobai: The emergence of Zhongshan Road overseas is closely related to the transnational footprint of Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary activities, the historical contribution of overseas Chinese and the spread of their spirit in different societies.
First of all, Sun Yat-sen's studies, revolutionary organizations, and fundraising activities were originally closely connected with overseas societies. Overseas Chinese participated in the Chinese revolution by donating money, running newspapers, organizing societies, etc., and also brought the memory of Sun Yat-sen into the public space where they lived. These roads and memorial sites not only carry their emotional connection with their homeland, but also record the history of their participation in local social life. At the same time, Sun Yat-sen's interactions with people from different countries made his influence extend beyond the Chinese society. His pursuit of national independence, social progress and people's well-being, as well as concepts such as "the world is for the common good" and "fraternity", provide a common topic for people with different cultural backgrounds to understand China and understand China's modern transformation.
In this context, the linkage of Zhongshan Road between China and foreign countries can establish a multilingual knowledge sharing platform by jointly sorting out the history behind the road. It not only tells the story of Sun Yat-sen and China's modern history, but also presents the experience of overseas Chinese starting businesses, living and participating in social construction overseas, making the "Zhongshan" themed road names an entrance to understanding each other's history.
Historical and cultural exchanges can also be combined with neighborhood protection and urban governance. Zhongshan Road in various places has experienced commercial development and urban renewal, and experience exchanges can be carried out around the protection of historical buildings, the improvement of public spaces, the continuation of traditional businesses and the cohabitation of diverse communities. In this regard, Nanjing can share the practice of tree-lined roads, modern architecture and urban memory protection, and can also learn from the experience of overseas cities in community participation, multi-lingual display and cultural heritage activation, so that common commemorative resources can be transformed into cooperation issues for both parties to improve urban life.
Today, Nanjing’s Zhongshan Avenue has long surpassed the physical attributes of a traffic artery and has become a historical witness of China’s transition from closure to openness and from tradition to modernity. Walking on this long road with a history of nearly a century, we can not only feel its profound cultural weight, but also listen to its long-lasting echoes around the world. (over)
