Chapter 23 Section IX

On December 25, 1911, under the anticipation of the revolutionaries and the people, Sun Yat-sen finally arrived at the Shanghai Wharf by sea.China, the great pioneer of the democratic revolution, has finally set foot on the land of the motherland after fourteen years of wandering abroad.At this time, seventy-five days had passed since the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising. According to reliable overseas historical materials disclosed by the famous American historian Mr. Tang Degang, when the Wuchang Uprising broke out, Sun Yat-sen was washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant in Denver, Colorado, to make a living.On the third day after the uprising, he saw the news in the newspaper, and his friends cheered.

Although domestic telegrams came one after another, reporting good news and asking him to return to China to take charge of the affairs, Sun Yat-sen was not in a hurry to leave.What he considers is that the new regime has just been established, and it must first seek international support; and the military operations are still going on, so it must require a lot of funds, and it is necessary to seek economic support from foreign powers.He went to Europe. This trip to Europe did not go as planned.The British and French saw that China was in a confrontation between the Qing government and the Revolutionary Party. It was hard to say who would win, and they would not be intimate with either side. .

In mid-November, Sun Yat-sen, who was still traveling overseas for the future of the Republic of China, called China and agreed to elect Li Yuanhong as president; he also agreed with Li Yuanhong's opinion that Yuan Shikai should be elected as president as long as Yuan Shikai was anyway, "but I hope to consolidate the country's foundation early." Accompanying Sun Yat-sen to Shanghai were Hu Hanmin, Wu Jingheng, Ma Junwu, etc. Huang Xing, Wang Jingwei, Chen Qimei and a large number of people went to the dock to greet him.Everyone was ecstatic to meet each other, hugging and jumping like children.People who have heard about Sun Yat-sen for a long time are very excited to see this legendary figure whose head price rose from 2,000 taels of silver to 200,000 taels in the era of Empress Dowager Cixi.

On December 29, a total of 45 representatives from the 17 independent provinces held a provisional presidential election in Nanjing, with one vote for each province. Voting results: Sun Yat-sen was elected as the provisional president of the Republic of China with 16 votes (Huang Xing got 1 vote). This is the first president of the Republic of China! This is an unprecedented scene in China's political history: the country's top leader is elected! After the election results came out, there was sudden applause and bell music. The participants shouted three times: "Long live the People's Republic of China!" Then they congratulated each other warmly, and many people's eyes were moist.

Countless revolutionaries fought bloody for so many years in order to overthrow the feudal autocracy and establish a democratic republic. The word "Republic" has existed in ancient China, and although the two words "feudalism" and "democracy" come from the West, they are the easiest to explain in Chinese. --The so-called "feudalism" means that the national management system was "established" through "feudalism", and now it has been revolutionized, and it has become "established" through "selection"; --The so-called "democracy" is opposite to the "monarch". In the past, the emperor was the master, but now all the citizens are the master.

The word "revolution" means "to remove the mandate of heaven".According to an ancient Chinese saying, whoever controls a country is because that person has received a certain destiny; but if the corruption is corrupt, this destiny will be removed. The wheel of history, finally in 1911 AD, the so-called "Mandate of Heaven" of the feudal autocratic monarchy was removed; since then, China has entered an era without emperors. On January 1, 1912, the former Liangjiang Governor’s Mansion in Nanjing was converted into an auditorium. Amidst the cheers of hundreds of spectators, Sun Yat-sen took the oath of office as the interim President of the Republic of China. The oath is as follows:

Overthrowing the Manchurian autocratic government, consolidating the Republic of China, and striving for the well-being of the people is the general will of the people, and it must be faithfully followed to be loyal to the country and serve the people.When the autocratic government collapsed and there were no internal disturbances, the Republic of China stood out in the world and was recognized by all nations. Si Shiwen should relieve the post of interim president.I take this oath to the people.New Year's Day of the first year of the Republic of China. The thrilling and turbulent revolutionary struggle in 1911 has blossomed brilliantly so far; the magnificent Revolution of 1911 reached its climax at this time.

More than a hundred benevolent people in the Huanghuagang Uprising, so many patriots in the Revolution of 1911, and countless martyrs who sacrificed their lives and shed blood to overthrow the feudal autocracy and establish the Republic of China since the late Qing Dynasty are all smiling in Jiuquan at this moment. China has since entered the era of the Republic of China.