The Cross Strait Times

On October 10, 1911 the Wuchang Uprising was launched. The first gunshot of the Xinhai Revolution, which overthrew the last imperial dynasty of China, was heard around the world. Behind the revolution were the ideas of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the man revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait as the “father of modern China”.

Sun passed away without seeing his dreams realized. He envisioned a strong, united, and democratic China governed by the “Three Principles of the People.” Almost one hundred years later, Sun’s vision has yet to be fully made into a reality on the mainland, but they are still held in the hearts of the Taiwanese people, who have strived in making this dream come true.

I traveled to the city of Xiamen in Fujian province last year. Looking across the sea towards Kinmen, I could still see the giant characters lit up on the other side of the strait, “Reunify China under the Three Principles of the People” (三民主義統一中國). Behind me were equally impressively big characters that read “Reunify China under One Country, Two Systems” (一国两制統一中国). I realized that not only has Dr. Sun’s vision been put on hold, but our nation is still divided, after so many years. In a sense, history has been rewritten by successive Communist administrations. In mainland China, the existence of the Republic of China has been denied and the ideals that propelled the Xinhai Revolution forgotten. “Double Ten” is no longer celebrated as a national holiday and is only briefly mentioned in history texts. The “democratic liberating” movement of modern China has only one creditor: the ruling Communist Party founded in 1921. It is now hard to find any voices of dissent in mainland China–they have mostly left the country, denied reentry to their homeland.

But as people’s living standards rise on the mainland, it is inevitable that they will start to look across the Strait. They will begin to wonder whether, just maybe, what has been achieved in Taiwan can be shared with all of China. Through my extensive travels on the mainland, I have met and conversed with people from different ranks, backgrounds, and ethnicities. They all have one dream: to see a united, and prosperous China. They dare not mention the word “democracy”, for the Chinese Communist Party has a tight grip on society. But they have not forgotten Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and his visions for our nation.

China is at a crossroads. While the government on the Mainland tries to divert people away from democracy with its focus on economic development and wealth, activists in Taiwan attempt to convince the people to turn their back on the Mainland and change the Republic of China into a ‘Republic of Taiwan’. Alas, the people shall not be easily fooled. I believe in what Dr. Sun dreamed, that one day China shall be united under a democracy, stronger and more prosperous than ever. The process starts with our generation, with reforming the PRC government, and supporting the non-fractious parties in Taiwan.