Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Doctrine and Impact on the Modern World

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By Dr. Yu-Long Ling Franklin College

Dr. Ling was the president of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Institute in North America and the current Chairperson of the Executive Board of Dr. Sun Yet-sen Institute.

To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Hsin-hai/Xinhai Revolution, the American Association for Chinese Studies sponsored the special panels in the 53rd Annual Conference at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA October 14-16, 2011.

Introduction

Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1), the founder of the Republic of China, has been portrayed in several different lights; those being a successful revolutionary, a philosopher and a statesmen. Now that 100 years have passed since his revolution (2), his revolutionary idea about the three principles of the people, “San min chu-i,” has had a great impact on China and the modern world. These principles are Min Tzu (nationalism), Min Ch’uan (democracy), and Min Sheng (people’s welfare). In this light, maybe we can consider him to be a futuristic leader. The purpose of this paper is to discuss his doctrine and demonstrate how his revolutionary ideology impacted the practices of countries in the 21st Century.

Revolution is total change in a society by way of violence. Total change includes change in the following areas—social, economic, political, cultural, and intellectual (3). This kind of change is drastic and great in speed and scope. The most important ingredient of a revolution is violence. In revolution, change does not occur by peaceful means. Based on the given criteria of a revolution, successful revolutions are rare in history. Well-known revolutions are the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution. Uniquely, China had two revolutions in the 20th Century. This paper will focus on Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s 1911 Revolution, which overthrew the last dynasty, the Manchurian Ch’ing Dynasty, and established the Republic of China.

Based on theory, a successful revolution should have the following elements: a revolutionary idea, charismatic leaders, and a general mass of people. A revolutionary idea should provide hope and aspiration for the people. Such hope motivates them to join the conspiracy against the government, despite the significant risk involved. Many times people end up putting their lives on the line for these movements. Charismatic leaders then inspire the people to follow and participate in the revolutionary movement. Lastly, a large discontented mass must come together against the establishment. In 1911, Dr. Sun Yat-sen provided two of the three elements. He was not only an eloquent communicator, but he also had a revolutionary idea that excited the Chinese to rise up and overthrow the Manchurian Ch’ing Dynasty. The discontented mass was already there.

The great 1911 Revolution is history now. Only historians pay significant intention to the things of the past. A great thinker should break the limits of time and place and establish timeless ideas that can be used forever. Consider Gandhi and his famous principles of non-violence. Through non-violence, he was able to gain independence for India from the colonial hold of Great Britain. Even though Gandhi has since left this world, his ideas about non-violence have greatly impacted movements like Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for equal rights and Nelson Mandela’s peaceful movement to end apartheid in South Africa. Gandhi’s name may not have been immediately recognized in these great movements, but his ideas continue to live on through movements such as MLK’s and Mandela’s. Dr. Sun is one of these great thinkers.

(Will be continued on A19 on the next issue on March 23.)