Nanjing was the last place I visited in China before I headed back to New York. We saved it for the very end since it was only a short train ride away from Shanghai. It was a somber trip but a good time for self-reflection and philosophical pondering. Great way to wrap up five months in China, right?
JC and I went to pay our respect to the Founding Father of The Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yatsen, at his mausoleum located at the foot of Mount Zijin (Purple Mountain). He is one of China’s most revered revolutionary and political leader. One of his legacies was his political philosophy, the Three Principles of the People (三民主義). It includes the principle of nationalism (民族), democracy (民權) and the People’s Livelihood (民生), which have yet to be achieved by the Chinese people today.
Born in Guangzhou, Dr. Sun Yatsen is a son of the province where my ancestors are from and where part of my family currently lives. People from the south, especially in the Guangdong province, are extremely proud of his lifetime achievements and the path he set forth for the future of China. Dr. Sun Yatsen traveled the world knowing that it was the only way to acquire the knowledge and ideas he needed to promote unity amongst the Chinese people and to further develop China as a nation.
Sun often said that the formulation of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, “government of the people, by the people, for the people”, had been the inspiration for the Three Principles of the People. – Wikipedia
Sun warned that “the British treat nations as the silkworm farmer treats his worms; as long as they produce silk, he cares for them well; when they stop, he feeds them to the fish.” – Wikipedia
Visiting a mausoleum or a tomb isn’t the most exciting thing in the world but it’s the closet thing to being in the presence of people who have changed history. The experience always makes me uneasy. The feeling is more of a “Oh my God, his/her dead body is laying right here” than a “Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m here.” As soon as I enter the area where the tomb is laid, my reflexes kick in and I find myself tip-toeing like a ballerina or walking like my granny – a slow saunter with my hands behind my back.
No comments:
Post a Comment