The figures · Rulers

Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen became a founding figure of modern Chinese nationalism and republican politics.

BORN 1866 CE · Cuiheng, GuangdongDIED 1925 CE · Beijing, ChinaERA Modern

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTION

Linked nationalism, democracy, and livelihood in a program for Chinese republican revolution.

THE RECORD

His Three Principles combined national independence, popular government, and social welfare.
He helped organize revolutionary movements against Qing rule.
Both major twentieth-century Chinese political camps claimed parts of his legacy.