From Sukarno to local overseas Chinese: Sun Yat-sen’s century-old connection with Indonesia

China News Service, Jakarta, November 11. Title: From Sukarno to local overseas Chinese: Sun Yat-sen’s century-old connection with Indonesia

China News Service reporter Li Zhiquan

"For us in the Sukarno family, our friendship with Dr. Sun Yat-sen has special meaning, even though we never met him in person."

The Chinese Embassy in Indonesia recently held a symposium to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. In his speech, Megawati, the general chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and former president, recalled his father Sukarno's experience of being influenced by Sun Yat-sen's thoughts, and also recounted his two encounters with Sun Yat-sen's wife, Soong Ching Ling.

According to Megawati, Sun Yat-sen’s thoughts and practices transcended the boundaries of time and space and left an immortal mark on history.

"He proposed that the oppressed nations should not imitate the Western hegemony backed by force, but should pursue the royal way, that is, advocating benevolence, moral justice and universal unity." Megawati said that Sun Yat-sen's thoughts spanned thousands of mountains and rivers, and deeply touched a young fighter in the Indonesian archipelago - Sukarno, who later became the founding president of Indonesia.

In his youth, Sukarno repeatedly read the Three People's Principles and said, "Mr. Sun Yat-sen's teachings inspired me to fight and love my country and my people."

In 1928, Sukarno regarded China's national awakening as part of the Asian national liberation movement in his article "Indonesianism and Pan-Asianism" and called Sun Yat-sen "China's Mazzini". Giuseppe Mazzini was an important leader of the Italian national liberation movement.

Megawati said that this title reflects her father's admiration for Sun Yat-sen and his revolutionary practices.

Sun Yat-sen's historical connection with Indonesia is also reflected in the support of local overseas Chinese for China's revolutionary cause.

In 1905, the Indonesian overseas Chinese sages Liang Mi'an, Xie Yiqiao and others founded the "Jinan Society" in Batavia, which was later renamed the "Overseas Chinese Publishing House" as the secret liaison office of the Alliance in Indonesia. Sun Yat-sen once personally put up a scroll with the inscription "Work hard to move forward" to commend him.

Zhou Kan, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, said that Sun Yat-sen once praised that "overseas Chinese are the mother of revolution" and overseas Chinese in Indonesia are one of the most vivid interpreters of this sentence. Indonesia is not only an important base for Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary cause, but also an important breeding ground and place for the spirit of 1911 to be carried forward overseas. This period of history is the common glory of the overseas Chinese living in Indonesia, and it is also the spiritual bond that unites the Chinese people at home and abroad.

Although Sukarno never met Sun Yat-sen, the Sukarno family had close contacts with Soong Ching Ling.

In August 1956, Soong Ching Ling visited Indonesia. Megawati, who was less than 10 years old at the time, met her for the first time. "This meeting left a deep mark on my heart." Megawati recalled that her father Sukarno respected Soong Ching Ling very much and treated her like a family member. From the end of September to October of the same year, Sukarno was invited to visit China. Megawati accompanied the delegation and met Soong Ching Ling again. She recalled that the visit had a warm and cordial atmosphere, which left an unforgettable impression on her.

During their visit to China, Sukarno and his delegation also visited the former residence of Sun Yat-sen. Megawati said that for her father, this was not an ordinary historical visit, but a spiritual journey to get closer to the pioneers of thought.

Sun Yat-sen's name and ideas are still passed down in Indonesian Chinese society.

The Indonesian Hakka Association has a "Zhongshan Library". Yang Jianchang, vice president of the association, said that this is not only a library, but also an important place for Indonesian Chinese to learn Chinese culture, understand Sun Yat-sen thought, and unite the hearts and minds of overseas Chinese.

Li Zhenjian, chairman of the Bandung Boliangan Welfare Foundation, said that when Song Qingling visited Bandung in 1956, he said, "There are few cities in history that have won so many hearts as Bandung." This sentence is still circulated in the local community. He said that what Soong Ching Ling saw back then was a city that was struggling to rebuild after getting rid of colonial rule; now, the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway runs through the island of Java, which is reminiscent of Sun Yat-sen's idea of ​​railway construction in "The Founding Strategy of the People's Republic of China".

Yi Yan, an alumnus of Sun Yat-sen University living in Indonesia, is currently engaged in language education. In his view, helping the people of the two countries overcome language barriers, promote cross-cultural communication, and tell the true stories of China and Indonesia are also ways to implement Dr. Sun Yat-sen's philosophy of "determining to do great things".