Chinese History 101

Opinions may vary when it comes to the achievements of his successors, but Sun Yat-sen is revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, in Hong Kong and Macau, and among the many overseas Chinese communities around the world. Born in the humble village of Cuiheng in 1866, he is considered one of China's greatest historical figures. You will find statues of him, parks dedicated to him, and schools named after him in a wide range of cities, from Toronto to Taipei, Honolulu to Hong Kong.

Sun left China at the age of 13 to join his brother in Hawaii, where he attended an Anglican boys' school. He was deeply influenced by Western culture - especially Christianity. Upon his return, he studied medicine at the University of Hong Kong.

His accomplishments include three main highlights. First, he led the Xinhai Revolution , which overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Second, he established the Republic of China. Third, he introduced the concept of democracy to the country in his seminal work, the Three Principles of the People.

Sun Yat-sen is one of many famous people to be born in the city. Others include Zheng Guanying, a bourgeois reformer; Lu Haodong, the Republican Revolution's first martyr; Yang Xianyi, the father of the Chinese Air Force; Su Zhaozheng, a labour activist; Ma Yingbiao, founder of a major Chinese department store; Xiao Youmei, a leading music educator; and Ruan Lingyu, a leading Chinese movie actress. But Sun is the only historical figure in China to have had his hometown - which was originally known as Xiangshan - named after him.