Zhongshan Park is located to the west of Tian'AnMen Gate in the heart of the Inner City. It is the site of the former Altar of Land and Harvest (from 1421, emperor YongLe, Ming dynasty). The emperor would visit twice yearly - in the springtime to bring a good harvest and in the autumn for thanksgiving. Five different colours of earth are still kept at this altar, representing land from throughout the nation.After 1911 the site became a park and was renamed in 1928 in honour of Sun Yat-sen, better-known in Chinese as Sun ZhongShan, who is considered to be the father of modern China. Sun ZhongShan was a key figure in the 1911 revolution which brought down the Qing dynasty and ended imperial rule in China and became the first president of the new republic. He is so popular that there are currently more than 40 ZhongShan Parks in China. ZhongShan Park covers an area of 24 hectares (60 acres) and is a grand example of classical Chinese landscape gardening. It is also famous for many old cypress trees, some of which are over 1,000 years old.The park also features a concert hall, a large pond, peonies (late spring and early summer), rock gardens, pavilions and colorful long corridors. At the north end, one can go boating on part of the Forbiddem City moat.
Sun Yat-Sen
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (1866 - 1925) was a Chinese revolutionary thinker and political leader who had a significant role in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. A founder of the KuoMinTang, Sun Yat-Sen was the first provisional president when the Republic of China was founded in 1912. Sun Yat-Sen was a uniting figure in post-imperial China and remains unique among 20th century Chinese politicians for being widely revered in both mainland China and Taiwan. On the mainland, Sun is highly regarded as the Father of Modern China. Although he is considered one of the greatest leaders of modern China, his life was one of constant struggle and frequent exile. Sun Yat-sen was born to a peasant family. Supported financially by an elder brother who found success in the US, he studied English, mathematics and science, became a doctor and was influenced by Chistianity. He felt China was backward and quit his profession to try to push reforms. Rebuffed by the gentry because of his lowly background, Sun Yat-Sen formed the idea that the Qing dynasty should be overthrown and a republic created. On October 10, 1911, a military uprising at WuChang, in which Sun Yat-Sen had no direct involvement, began a process that ended over two thousand years of imperial rule in China. When he learned of the successful rebellion against the Qing emperor, he immediately returned to China and on December 29, a meeting of representatives from provinces in Nanjing elected Sun Yat-Sen as the provisional President of the Republic of China. Sun Yat-Sen was a moderniser, progressive and, above all, a nationalist in the best sense who wanted China and all its people to prosper.