Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) is the "Father of Modern China". He led the revolution of 1911, and was the founder of the Republic of China in 1912. In the People's Republic of China, he is honored on the anniversary of his death - March 12th. In Taiwan, he is honored on the anniversary of his birth - November 12th.

In 1894, Sun Yat-sen became part of the political movement to overthrow the Chi'ng Dynasty, which had ruled China since 1644. He fled the country in 1895, but still worked to overthrow the Chinese Emperor. In 1911 he successfully led a revolution forcing the Emperor to advocate. The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912. Sun Yat-sen briefly led the new republic until he was forced to resign by a former imperial general, Yuan Shikai. After Yuan Shikai's death in 1916, China fractured into regions ruled by various warlords. Sun Yat-sen organized the Nationalists Party, or Guomindang, and worked with the Soviet Union, and Communists to re-unite the country. In 1925, he died in Beijing while a member of the National Assembly. Sun Yat-sen's Nationalists Party, led by Chiang Kai-shek succeeded in re-uniting the country when it gained control of China in 1928.

Note: This holiday is one of Calendar Mine's over 500 built-in observances. Dates for the above holiday are calculated accurately for any location on the globe.

See Also

Holiday Catalogue

Chinese Traditional Holidays

Birthday of Sun Yat-sen