Eastern promise – Glass uncovers the secrets of a modern hero, the pioneering visionary Sun Yat Sen

Eastern promise – Glass uncovers the secrets of a modern hero, the pioneering visionary Sun Yat Sen

Bold, audacious and indefatigable, Sun Yat Sen was the pioneering visionary who laid the first stones of modern China and inspired a wave of independence and freedom. Glass uncovers the secrets of a modern hero.
Known as the founding father of modern China, Sun Yat Sen is one of the most revered figures in China’s history. His vision of a democratic and just society led him to overthrow and end the four thousand year reign of the great Chinese dynasties and establish a central government of the people and for the people. Born in 1866 in a village in Guangdong province, Sun was an innovator of free thought and went on to become the single uniting figure of China’s warring factions and parties during the chaotic years that followed the overthrow of the traditional ruling powers.

In an exclusive interview for Glass, acclaimed London-based accessories designer Beatrix Ong interviews Peter Sun, her uncle and great-nephew of Dr Sun Yat Sen, to gain rare insight into one of the 20th century’s most important global political figures.

There are many texts and books on Dr Sun Yat Sen that are very factual and document his achievements, but from a family and personal point of view, what was he like as a person?
Dr Sun grew up in a very small village named Heung Shan (later renamed Zhongshan) in Guangdong Province, China. Ever since he was a child, he had demonstrated a very strong personality. He was curious about things around him, he always questioned others if he saw or heard something unjust. He wouldn’t hesitate to put himself in critical or even dangerous circumstances if he believed his actions were justifiable.

Eastern Promise £

One may want to characterise Dr Sun as a man of great righteousness. He was also a devoted Christian (at 13 Sun was summoned to join his prosperous brother in Hawaii where he discovered Christianity), always forgiving. He liked to make friends and was one of the greatest communicators in history!

You met all of Dr Sun Yat Sen’s wives (Chinese culture frowned upon divorce and instead it was common to take a concubine, but this conflicted with Sun’s Christian principles; as such he had three wives). What were they like and how did each one shape his thoughts and support him with his goals?
I was the only one among my kin to have met all three and spent the longest time with the first and third wife. Lo Mo Jing, the first wife (by arranged marriage), gave birth to a son and two daughters. She lived almost all her life in Zhongshan and Macau. She mainly looked after family affairs and the children while they were young. Dr Sun maintained close communication with her until the last days.

Chan Sui Fun (Ah Tai) met Dr Sun at the early stage of his revolutionary activities in Hong Kong and Macau. Since then, she followed Dr Sun to Japan and Malaysia, and assisted Dr Sun in making contacts with local Chinese sympathisers. She was also looking after Dr Sun’s well-being such as cooking, cleaning, etc. She was deeply committed to the cause of the revolution and supported Dr Sun in fund raising and contacting overseas Chinese.

Soong Ching Ling served as Dr Sun’s secretary before marrying him in Japan. From an admirer to becoming his wife, she thoroughly understood Dr Sun’s ideals and doctrines. Throughout the last ten years of Dr Sun’s life, she stood side by side with him, enduring the most difficult time that almost cost her her own life. She made a lot of friends internationally after Dr Sun passed away and kept on pushing Dr Sun’s ideals among the Chinese people. As such, she had become very influential as well as instrumental in the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. I was there when Madam Soong Ching Ling passed away in Beijing.

I have been told that when Ah Tai, your grandmother, was in Japan she was revered. What was the role and significance of Dr Sun Yat Sen in Japan and why did they hold such great respect for her?
In Japan, Dr Sun organised the ‘China Alliance Society’ where he recruite  d Chinese nationals sympathetic to the cause of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. People who joined this organisation were all referred to as “comrades.” At that time, Ah Tai was at Dr Sun’s side, partly taking care of him and partly helping out with the workings of the organisation. She was very committed to Dr Sun’s cause as well as a very devoted “comrade.” She was well-liked by the people in the Society because of her devotion.

What was it that inspired Dr Sun Yat Sen to stand against the ruling dynasty? What influences did he draw from, and from where?
Dr Sun’s revolution ideals stemmed from his college years in Hong Kong. He was mainly influenced by the freedom of the international media. Time after time he learnt from the press that the corrupted Qing Dynasty had signed unequal treaties with foreign countries such as France and Japan and had ceded vast amounts of money and territories, which amounted to unconditional surrenders. He had concluded then that the only way to stop this injustice was to overthrow the corrupt regime and bring democracy to China.

What was it about his ideas that achieved the rare feat of unifying feelings from both sides of the Taiwanese strait? (Two notoriously disagreeing factions of China.)
“Undivided, unselfish, non-partisan patriotism” can be the key note to Dr Sun’s ideas. Throughout his life, he was only thinking of how China can stand up with dignity among all nations of the world and how Chinese people can be treated equally by all other nationals.

The ideas which he wrote and championed like the “Three Principles of the People” (nationalism, democracy, and the people’s livelihood) did not have to be borrowed from foreign countries but were written solely for the building of a new democratic nation. Chinese people all over the world who had come to know Dr Sun would openly recognise him as “the Father of the Chinese Republic”.

In today’s generation it is very common to be brought up overseas from China, but in those days it is quite amazing that he managed to travel so extensively. How was this made possible? What were his feelings and the reaction of others to him abroad? How did this travelling and contact with different cultures influence his ideas for China?
Dr Sun travelled widely overseas for many reasons. He had to spread his revolutionary ideas among the Chinese people but he couldn’t do it inside China because he was head-hunted by the ruling dynasty. He also needed funds for his revolutionary activities such as arms purchasing, etc. The only way he could find support was from the overseas Chinese!

He had to build up a worldwide network of support outside of China in order to gain public recognition of the new Republic once the revolution became successful. Dr Sun had called the overseas Chinese “the Mother of the Revolution.” That has made the overseas Chinese so proud and still does today! His “Three Principles of the People” were inspired during the time Dr Sun was living overseas (mainly in the United States, United Kingdom and Japan) by studying in depth the social and governmental structures of the then western powers.

He had also done a lot of research work by reading all kinds of publications. It is public knowledge that he spent considerable amounts of time in the British National Library to read books concerning constitutional and government structure matters, etc.

Dr Sun Yat Sen has been depicted in the film “Bodyguards and Assassins” directed by Teddy Chen – the plot is fictitious but there were very real problems that Dr Sun Yat Sen faced when he travelled. What were the methods he used to ensure his safety?
It was true that Dr Sun had tried to avoid being in Hong Kong because he and his brother Sun Mei had been legally driven out by the Hong Kong Colonial Government at different times due to heavy political pressure from the Chinese ruling dynasty. Dr Sun was being advised to be extra careful for his own safety. For instance, at one time he did travel to Hong Kong by ship but because of safety and political reasons, he did not come ashore but remained in the ship until he had finished all his business.

Frankly, in those days, the Qing Dynasty people were not as ‘open’ as suggested in the movie in their hunt for Dr Sun in Hong Kong because the British Colonial Government in Hong Kong was watching quite closely on the Chinese officials too! Dr Sun was quite alert himself, knowing that his presence would jeopardise his own future, plus the fact that there was quite a network of his friends or comrades who were constantly watching out for him. I suspect that some of these people might have rather useful connections and were able to assess the political situation of the Colonial Government of Hong Kong.

It seems Dr Sun Yat Sen’s life was always in danger and in fact he was kidnapped in London. How did this come about? It was such big news at the time, because the British Government intervened. Why did they do this?
The intervention by the British Government took place mainly due to the fact that Dr James Cantlie (who was his professor at the Hong Kong Western Medicine College, now the Hong Kong University Medical School), personally brought the case to the British Foreign Office and demanded that the British Government took immediate action to rescue Dr Sun from the Qing Dynasty Embassy.

Apparently Dr Cantlie at the time was a well known scholar in the U.K. and quite influential within the government’s rank and file. He also leaked the story to the press in London so that the British Government had to take immediate actions without too much choice. (As a result of the media attention Sun left Britain widely regarded as a hero).

Did the Imperial guards follow him all over the world? Was this usual for them to do this – or was it because he was such a threat to the Imperial Court?
Frankly speaking, unlike today’s world standard, the imperial guards (or you may call Secret Service nowadays) were not as well organised or directed by the Qing Dynasty Regime, particularly in foreign countries. I don’t think Dr. Sun was followed everywhere he went overseas mainly because the Chinese only maintained a rather small size of diplomatic legation stationing in their embassies, and it was uncommon in those days to maintain a large group of foreign operatives roaming freely to track down their own countrymen.

How was it that Sun Yat Sen managed to unite the violently divided warlords in China following the overthrow of the dynasty?
The coming of the Warlord Period was a direct development of the Revolution itself because there was, in effect, no one single and powerful central government able to be established after the fall of the Qing Dynasty. In fact, throughout the last 25 years of Dr. Sun’s life, he had been fighting to get rid of the Warlords, and their interferences. It was his unselfish character, his patriotism and his political ideas that had won over some of the warlords, particularly in central and southern parts of China, but not so many in the North.

Because the major Northern warlords were in deep disagreement among themselves, they finally agreed to invite Dr. Sun to Beijing to discuss the restructuring of the central government. This happened in the last year of Dr. Sun’s life. The warlords realised that no one single person at the time other than Dr. Sun had the prestige of making others compromise to a single plan. Besides politics, I believe that Dr. Sun was truly and deeply respected by those warlords. They knew only Dr. Sun could get the support of the people in the nation.

What was it about his policies that paved the way for so many? And how did it ultimately influence the Communist Party in China?
Dr. Sun’s policies were mainly based on his “Three Principles of the People”, “The Strategy of Building the Nation” and “The General Principle of the Structure of the National Government.” He strongly believed that all Chinese people have the undeniable rights of a citizen to share the wealth of the nation, and that a free and democratic government should be set up for the people, by the people and of the people. These were generally adopted by later political parties. Even the Communist Party later claimed that they are the successors of Dr. Sun’s policies and his ideas.

Although such an important figure in Asia, why is Dr Sun Yat Sen relatively unknown in the west, especially in the United Kingdom?
Timing, as well as changes of the world order among nations: political doctrines of various styles were flourishing, plus conflicts and world wars over the past 100 years had mainly changed the focuses of the world populations. People generally agree that the 20th century was the most turbulent century in modern history.

Asia was not the only world area where major events took place. The overthrowing of the Qing Dynasty took place in the first 10 years of the 20th century when communication methods around the globe were rather backward and timely.

The U.K. used to claim herself as an “empire where the sun never sets”, and seemed to be very much in the centre stage of the world order but discovered that her influence was gradually diminishing. Her overseas colonies had declared independence one after another. In Asia, only India and Singapore were major concerns to the British Government.

Hong Kong was only a very small colony which served mainly as a trading port. Apparently the revolution led by Dr Sun in China involved little British national interests in those days. Unlike today, when national interests are not of major issue, probably people in the U.K. did not concern themselves too much with what was happening in China. That is the interesting part of reading world history!

by Beatrix Ong

N.B. Sun Yat Sen died from liver cancer on March 12, 1925. Up until his last weeks he was still travelling the breadth of China and even to Japan to deliver remarkable speeches of independence and to broker peace talks.He never lived to see his dream of a free and united China realised but is still remembered today as the Guo Fu – the founding father – of modern China.

Taken from the Glass Archive – Issue four