A seminar commemorating the 160th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birth was held in Liverpool, England, on Nov 6, 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 (Chee Kung Tong) UK, where Sun once engaged with the local Chinese community. It was organized by the Chinese council of Manchester and Liverpool-based Chinese community organizations.
Sun Yat-sen, born in 1866 in South China's Guangdong province, played a leading role in the 1911 Revolution, which overthrew the imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and ended more than 2,000 years of feudal rule in China.
Sun had deep ties with Britain when he was deported overseas by the then Qing government. He once faced adversity in London and passed through Liverpool several times.
According to leaders of Chee Kung Tong, 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 Chee Kung Tong in the United States to mobilize overseas Chinese support and lat-er helped reorganize it, setting out principles of "expel the Tartar invaders, restore China, establish a republic, and equalize land rights", thereby formally placing the organization on the path of democratic revolution.
In return, the Chee Kung Tong gave vigorous financial backing to Sun's revolutionary cause, even mortgaging and selling its own property to raise funds for uprisings inside China.
"We are so proud that we Chinese in Liverpool came to Mr 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 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.
Fighting spirit
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 realiz-ing socialist modernization is a historical process of step-by-step progression and continuous development, requiring the unremitting efforts of 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."
Sun Yat-sen visited Taiwan three times — in 1900, 1913 and 1918 — when the island was under Japanese colonial rule. Inspired by his discourse, many young patriots emerged in Taiwan, some of whom headed to the mainland to participate in the revolution while others organized anti-Japanese efforts on the island.
Today, many counties and cities across Taiwan and the mainland have roads or parks named after Sun.
A photo exhibition on Sun Yat-sen was also unveiled to the public at the office building of the Chinese Freemasons UK located in Chinatown in Liverpool.
