History is examined from an observational perspective, not dissimilar to the role of a reader. This great trail, concealing rich and deep meaning, and extending across the bounds of a nation has been quietly waiting for us to approach, examine and explore. They not only challenged my creative composition abilities, but also stimulated my imagination. To my excitement, I realized this coincided with my own personal conundrum—the Zhongshan Road is, itself, a narration of history.
After a period of thought, I made the journey to Zhongshan City, and met with Qiu Shuhong. I put forth my quest and ideas, to the resounding agreement of Qiu Shuhong. With this, I began my journey of the Zhongshan Road.
"The universe is boundless; the pathways are infinite." Every civilization is always choosing their path of development. Every civilization has walked their own historic path. And every civilization has left behind their own unique impact and footprints. These paths define where a society will strive towards, and in the end whether they rise or fall; whether they are honored or disgraced. China's history was one of authoritarianism. The suppression of thought and passion weakened our hunger and desire for discovery and renewal, and resulted in a never-ending cycle of unity and disunity.
In the hope of revitalizing a nation, Tseng Kuo-fan (Zeng Guofan), Li Hung-chang (Li Hongzhang) and Zhang Zhidong headed the Westernization Movement; Zheng Guanying, Tang Tingshu and Chang Chien (Zhang Jian) tried to rely on industrial development; Rong Hong pushed for education; K'ang Yu-wei (Kang Youwei) and Liang Ch'i-ch'ao (Liang Qichao) pursued constitutionalism; Sung Chiao-jen (Song Jiaoren) and Huang Hsing (Huang Xing) aspired for parliament…In the end, only Sun Yat-sen was able to bring together the Chinese people, their rights and their livelihoods as the three equally weighted pillars in a path to reform.
Never in history has there been a nation whose path to modernization was so long, whose challenges were so great, whose road to reform was so rough. Historian Huang Renyu's outlook on "The Great History" characterizes the sporadic wave-after-wave of modern China's reforms as follows: "China's long-term reforms are aimed at redesigning the agricultural industry as a modern enterprise through use of business principles. Traditional agricultural society is rigid—human relations are unitary, and the traditional hierarchy of superiority 'superiors over inferiors, male over female, old over young' remains dominant. In an industrial agricultural industry, facilitation of equality and freedom of exchange are imperative. Therefore, under the umbrella of "rights and obligations," human relations must first be pluralistic in nature before we can even begin to discuss equality and freedom. But if the former transforms into the latter, something completely different is formed."
Sun Yat-sen was both a revolutionary leader, and a practitioner setting the path for the decayed nation of China toward modernization. Under his leadership, the Chinese people took the first step in doing away with authoritarian imperial rule, and moved forward on the path of democracy. His formulation of "A Plan for Building the Nation" in pursuit of a "prosperous China" proposed attracting foreign investment and modernizing production as key goals in the search for and realization of this ideal "Zhongshan Trail."
Just as Qiu Shuhong writes in his poem Zhongshan Road,Zhongshan Road is part of Zhongshan City, but it is also a significant symbol for the Chinese nation. Zhongshan Road is history's, but it is also the future's. It embodies our success and glory of today, at the same time penetrating the perplexion, humiliation, quest and struggles of our past.
Many a road,
Many a city,
Many a you.
For every you,
There is a city.
You are the city's lifeblood,
The memory of a nation.
Many a road, so tough, so harsh,
Witnesses to the earth and the sea,
To the wind and the rain.
For every step,
There is a piece of history.
You are the city's family tree,
The legend of a nation.
Many a road, so long, so vast,
Connecting the future,
Connecting the past.
For every path,
There is a new frontier.
You are the city's aspiration,
The will of a nation.
Many a road, so beautiful, so great,
As bright as gold,
As exquisite as flowers.
As clear as the moon,
Just like a rainbow.
You are the city's yearning,
The hope of a nation.
Sun Yat-sen famously warned our nation, "The wave of the world goes forth with strength and vigor. To ride it is to prosper; to go against it is to perish." How exactly should we ride this irresistible wave? The past centuries for China has been an era of hesitation, exploration, striving and procrastination…
After 30 years of economic reforms, as the People's Republic of China celebrates its 60th anniversary, following the historic Zhongshan Road is of great relevance in examining the country's development and pondering upon the path of the Chinese nation's future.
"The past reflects the rise and fall of the future." We inherit the Zhongshan Road of history, but we gain from it inspiration of the future.
THE ZHONGSHAN Road begins in the hometown of Sun Yat-sen: Cuiheng Village, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China.
In the blazing summer of July 2008, I began my journey across this great nation from this starting point, following the steps of modern China's defining forefathers.
From day one, the people I would meet and their stories would continue to shock me. Despite my long-term residency and work in Shenzhen, my impression of neighboring Zhongshan was skin-deep and rough. Only now, as I make tracks for Zhongshan, brushing the dust away from the history buried within, and acquaint myself personally with the city did I realize not only was this the beginning of the Zhongshan Road, but one of the pivotal points in defining modern China's history.
