Dr. Sun Yatsen Mausoleum In Nanjing

September 14th, 2009 | 16 comments


img_2839Nanjing 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.

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  • http://pinaybackpacker.com/blog/ Isis@Pinaybackpacker

    “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.”

    - This is certainly a very good reason to travel. :D

    I think there are also a lot of Filipino-Chinese who hails from the same province as D. Sun Yatsen. And they have built schools here and named it after him.

  • http://pinaybackpacker.com/blog/ Isis@Pinaybackpacker

    “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.”

    - This is certainly a very good reason to travel. :D

    I think there are also a lot of Filipino-Chinese who hails from the same province as D. Sun Yatsen. And they have built schools here and named it after him.

  • http://chinananjing.com/ chinananjing

    This is only one monument worth-seeing in Nanjing. This city in China has an extraordinary cultural and historical load.

  • http://chinananjing.com/ chinananjing

    This is only one monument worth-seeing in Nanjing. This city in China has an extraordinary cultural and historical load.

  • http://www.theaussienomad.com/ Chris – The Aussie Nomad

    I do the same thing when walking around somewhere that a tomb etc is. Weather I do it out of a sense of respect for the dead or not I don’t know.

  • http://www.theaussienomad.com Chris – The Aussie Nomad

    I do the same thing when walking around somewhere that a tomb etc is. Weather I do it out of a sense of respect for the dead or not I don’t know.

  • GotPassport

    Hey there Monica,

    I love that picture at the top. It is so majestic and mysterious to me…. that’s how temples make me feel when I am there. I think I understand what you referring to.. whenever we go into churches, cathedrals, temples etc. I feel the need to speak softly, bow my head, and just be a gentle soul- it is a way of paying respect, I suppose. When we were in Taiwan, when we went to Buddhist, I took my shoes off every time even though I was told I don’t have to.. I couldn’t do it..

    beautiful post and good historical facts too!

  • GotPassport

    Hey there Monica,

    I love that picture at the top. It is so majestic and mysterious to me…. that’s how temples make me feel when I am there. I think I understand what you referring to.. whenever we go into churches, cathedrals, temples etc. I feel the need to speak softly, bow my head, and just be a gentle soul- it is a way of paying respect, I suppose. When we were in Taiwan, when we went to Buddhist, I took my shoes off every time even though I was told I don’t have to.. I couldn’t do it..

    beautiful post and good historical facts too!

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Me neither. I just happens, like a reflex. Unfortunately, it’s not a reflex all human beings have. When I visited Confucius’ tomb in Qufu, China there was a tour guide who used a loudspeaker to talk and hawkers selling flowers to tourists to put on his grave. Way to respect the dead. Lol

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Me neither. I just happens, like a reflex. Unfortunately, it’s not a reflex all human beings have. When I visited Confucius’ tomb in Qufu, China there was a tour guide who used a loudspeaker to talk and hawkers selling flowers to tourists to put on his grave. Way to respect the dead. Lol

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Thanks! I’ve always been taught to take off my shoes as a sign of respect, even if it’s to my aunt’s house. When I was younger, I never understood why Americans wore their shoes in the house. The ground you walk on outside is so dirty. Why would you want to bring it in your house?

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Thanks! I’ve always been taught to take off my shoes as a sign of respect, even if it’s to my aunt’s house. When I was younger, I never understood why Americans wore their shoes in the house. The ground you walk on outside is so dirty. Why would you want to bring it in your house?

  • GotPassport

    exactly that’s what Taiwanese, Burmese, Thai, Japanese do as well. In fact, we wear house shoes after we remove our outside shoes in Taiwan. We had that tradition in our other house with tiles too.. but we have more wood in this house so we can go barefoot. We actually have a sign in our house “please remove your shoes!” bought it when we were in Taiwan! :-)

  • GotPassport

    exactly that’s what Taiwanese, Burmese, Thai, Japanese do as well. In fact, we wear house shoes after we remove our outside shoes in Taiwan. We had that tradition in our other house with tiles too.. but we have more wood in this house so we can go barefoot. We actually have a sign in our house “please remove your shoes!” bought it when we were in Taiwan! :-)

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Lol…I think maybe Asians are the ones who invented the concept of slippers.

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Lol…I think maybe Asians are the ones who invented the concept of slippers.