Dr.Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum
Sun Yat-sen (Nov. 12, 1866 to March 12, 1925) was the founder and the first president of the Republic of China; he is considered the most important political figure and revolutionary in China around the turn of the 20th century, referred to as the "Father of the Nation" in the Republic of China. Sun played an important role in the overthrow of the Qing Emperor during the Xinhai Revolution and was co-founded the Kuomintang (KMT), serving as its first leader. One of his well-known legacies was publishing his political philosophy called the "Three Principles": (nationalism, democracy and people's livelihood). He once said that the three principals were inspired by the speech of Abraham Lincoln.
Although Sun is known as one of the greatest leaders of modern China, his political life was one of constant struggle and frequent exile. After the success of the 1911 revolution, he quickly fell out of power in the newly founded Republic, and led successive revolutionary governments as a challenge to the warlords who controlled most parts of the nation. Sun did not live to see his party consolidate its power over the country during the Northern Expedition. His party, which formed a fragile alliance with the Communists, split into two factions after his death.
Sun died of liver cancer in Beijing on March 1925 at the age of 58. Just before his death, he reiterated something he had said before: “I wish that after my death I could be buried at the foot of the Purple Mountain in Nanjing because Nanjing was where the Provisional Government of the Republic of China was established, and we should never forget the Revolution of 1911.” The mausoleum was built and completed in 1929, and Sun's remains were relocated from Beijing and buried in Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in June of this year.
The mausoleum (in Chinese, 中山陵, which has been classified as an AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration) is located at the foot of the second peak of Purple Mountain in Nanjing. Construction of the tomb started in January 1926 and was finished in spring of 1929. The majestic mausoleum combines the styles of traditional imperial tombs and modern architecture. Lying at the mountainside, the vault is more than 700 hundred meters away from the Paifang on the square below, which is the entrance of the mausoleum. There is a three-tier stone stand on which a huge bronze Ding -- an ancient Chinese vessel symbolizing power, perches. To the north of the square, there is a topping Paifang towers. Beyond is the 480-meter-long and 50-meter-wide stairway which has 392 stairs leading to the vault. In front of the sacrificial hall there stands a pair of Huabiao -- an ancient Chinese ornamental column, which is about 13 meters high. The sacrificial hall is actually a palace. In the center of the hall, there is a statue of Dr. Sun sits. It was sculptured out of Italian white marble. The hall's ceiling features the flag of the Kuomintang. Visitors can found the Biographical information on Dr. Sun in the hall.
Opening Hours: 8:30-17:00 and 10:00-17:00 on November 12 (the birthday of Dr. Sun Yat-sen)
Transportation: Take No.9, No.1 to Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum Station.
