Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen (November 12, 1866 – March 12, 1925), born Sun Wen, was a Chinese revolutionary, political theorist, and founding father of the Republic of China. Born in Guangdong province to a peasant family, Sun received Western education in Hawaii and Hong Kong, where he was exposed to democratic ideals and modernization concepts that contrasted sharply with Qing Dynasty rule. In the 1890s, he organized multiple failed uprisings against the Qing government, yet remained undeterred by defeat and continued advocating for democratic revolution. Sun's Three Principles of the People—nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood—became the ideological foundation for his movement and profoundly influenced Chinese political thought. The 1911 Xinhai Revolution, which he led intellectually and politically, successfully overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China, ending over 2,000 years of imperial rule. Sun served as the republic's first president, though he was forced to yield power to military strongman Yuan Shikai. Despite political setbacks, Sun's vision of a unified, modernized, and democratic China continued to inspire Chinese nationalism. He is revered as the Father of Modern China and remains an iconic figure in both the People's Republic of China and Taiwan.