A seminar commemorating the 160th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birth was held in Liverpool, England on Friday, recalling the moment 130 years ago when Sun first set foot in Britain at the Merseyside port city.
The event was hosted at the office of the Chinese Freemasons (Che Kung Hall) UK, where Sun once engaged with the local Chinese community. It was organized by the Chinese council to Manchester and Liverpool-based Chinese community organizations.
According to leaders of Che Kung Hall, it was the community's members who once received and assisted Sun when he first arrived in the city in 1896, and the hall has shared a deep historical bond with him ever since. In 1904, Sun joined the Che Kung Hall in the United States to mobilize overseas Chinese support and later helped reorganize it, setting out principles of "expel the Tartar invaders, restore China, found a republic, and equalized land rights," thereby formally placing the organization on the path of democratic revolution.
In return, the Che Kung Hall gave vigorous financial backing to Sun revolutionary cause, even mortgaging and selling its own property to raise funds for uprisings inside China.
"It was for this reason that Sun sincerely said, 'Overseas Chinese are the mother of the revolution'," the leaders said.
"We are so proud that we Chinese in Liverpool came to Sun's assistance timely when he was here 130 years ago. We would like to carry on Mr Sun's patriotic spirit, ready to contribute to our motherland today anytime she needs," Danny Hui, chairman of the UK Northwest Association for the Promotion of China Reunification, said.
Chinese Consul General in Manchester Tang Rui said that the best way to commemorate Sun Yat-sen is to inherit his spirit and complete the unfinished cause he left behind.
"We must inherit his unswerving patriotic sentiments. Mr Sun Yat-sen loved his motherland all his life, steadfastly pursuing the realization of national independence and development for rejuvenation. Today, as we strive to open up new horizons for Chinese-style modernization, we must vigorously promote the great spirit of patriotism."
Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary career went through repeated setbacks and hardships, but he never lost heart in the face of failure, nor did he ever back down in the face of adversity.
Tang said we must inherit his tenacious fighting spirit.
"Today, our country's development environment still faces profound and complex changes, but we must deeply realize that realizing socialist modernization is a historical process of step-by-step progression and continuous development, requiring the unremitting efforts all Chinese.
"More importantly, Tang noted, "we must inherit his firm belief in national unity. Mr Sun Yat-sen spent his entire life safeguarding national integrity and unity, opposing any division or separatism. Currently, all Chinese are moving toward the goal of national rejuvenation. Overseas compatriots should play a unique role in promoting spiritual convergence between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and advancing the great cause of motherland reunification."
A photo exhibition on Sun Yat-sen was also unveiled to the public at the office building of the Chinese Freemasons UK.
