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Long one of the major annual holidays in Taiwan, the Double
Tenth holds the same significance for the public of China
that July Fourth does for the United States of America. Although
this day--which commemorates the start of the revolution which
led to the formation of the ROC -- is no longer celebrated
islandwide with the zeal it once was, it is still marked with
massive parades and other displays in Taipei.
The history behind this national day provides foreigners with
an interesting and informative background to the ROC. The
roots of the revolution which overthrew China's Ching dynasty
grew from the decades of humiliation the country suffered
at the hands of foreign powers and the relative impotence
of the Ching government in coping with such intrusions.
Foreign-related problems dated back to the Opium War with
Great Britain, from 1839 to 1842, that ended in a British
victory and the Treaty of Nanking, which opened five Chinese
ports to British trade and consulates and ceded Hong Kong
to England. This led to additional, similar treaties with
other powers, including the United States and France.
What also followed were a series of wars -- including a Sino-Japanese
conflict which resulted in Taiwan being ceded to the Japanese
in 1894, failed rebellions against the government and other
forms of chaos.
The revolutionary movement which finally brought the Ching
dynasty down was led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, who founded a series
of secret societies inside and outside China, including one
in Taiwan. Consequently, Sun was exiled in 1905 and organized
the Revolutionary Alliance in Tokyo which maintained a network
of revolutionaries in China.
The revolution had its official beginning on October 10, 1911
when Sun's supporters, fearing that their plot had been uncovered
by the arrest of one of their agents, started a revolt in
Hupei province's Wuchang city. With the support of local residents
and many defecting military officers, they soon captured the
major city of Wuhan. This was followed by another major victory
in Nanking two months later.
On January 1, 1912, the Revolutionary Alliance--which controlled
16 of China's 22 provinces at the time--set up a provisional
parliament in Nanking and elected Sun as the provisional president
of the ROC.
Northern China remained under the control of former Ching
dynasty official Yuan Shih-kai and a settlement was reached
between him and southern revolutionaries to unite the country.
Sun agreed to turn his presidency over to Yuan and, on February
12, 1912, the last Ching ruler stepped down, ending 268 years
of Manchu rule.
Yuan was a less-than-ideal caretaker for the new republic
and, within about three years, declared himself as the new
emperor. This, in turn, led to a military revolt against Yuan
by a group of revolutionary generals.
The years and decades which followed were ones of war and
extreme turmoil for China, marked by the May Fourth Movement
in 1919, the 1920s Warlord Era, Japanese provocations and
dominance of Manchuria, the rise of the Chinese Communist
Party and World War II.
Nevertheless, the foundations had been laid for a new Chinese
government and, more importantly, the system of democracy
that Taiwan's people enjoy today.
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