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Bust of Sun Yat-sen unveiled in Xi'an

By Lu Hongyan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-05-30 17:03

The bronze bust of Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of China's democratic revolution, was unveiled on the campus of Xi'an Jiaotong University on Friday.

The statue was donated by Sun Sui-fong, President of Sun Yat-sen Foundation for Peace and Education and Sun's grand-daughter, Sun Sui-fong. The bust is about 0.87 meter high and its base is 1.6 meters high. On the front of the base, four Chinese characters of "tian xia wei gong" (The world is for all) are carved. On the backside of the base is Sun's handwriting of an ancient essay on commonwealth.

Mrs Sun and her delegation attended the unveiling ceremony at the Xi'an Jiaotong University. Also attending the ceremony were Wang Jianhua, Party secretary of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Lu Tianjian, vice-president of Xi'an Jiaotong University, representatives from Alumni Relations Development Department, President's Office, Publicity Department, United Front Department, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office, Campus Development and Planning Department, Students' Section and Archive Hall, members of Democratic Revolution Party, and representatives of alumni and students.

The bronze bust of Sun Yat-sen is set on the central axle of the campus of Xi'an Jiaotong University. Wang Jianhua, Sun Sui-fong, Lu Tianjian and Jia Jianming, deputy secretary-general of Xi'an Jiaotong University and head of the Publicity Department, Charles TY Wang, vice-president of Dr. Sun Yat-sen Foundation for Peace and Education and son of Dr. Sun Sui-fong, and Wang Lan, head of the Beijing Liaison Office of Dr. Sun Yat-sen Foundation for Peace and Education jointly unveiled the bronze bust.

Mrs Sun said this year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution. To uphold the revolutionary spirit of Sun Yat-sen, she invested to forge 100 bronze statues and busts of his grand-father and chose to donate to universities, high schools and primary schools around the world. Since the first bronze statue was unveiled last March at the Chinese Association in Thailand, this one at Xi'an Jiaotong University has been the second bust out of the 43 statues and busts she donated. She also donated her books, My Grandfather Sun Yat-sen, and inscribed "tian xia wei gong", and "loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, love, faith and peace".

According to Wang Jianhua, Sun Yat-sen had a long-standing and well-established relation with Xi'an Jiaotong University. As early as in December 1912, the late Sun gave a speech at Xi'an Jiaotong University, encouraging students to serve in the country's revitalization and prosperity. In 1922, Sun inscribed "qiang guo qiang zhong" (a strong country with strong seedlings). In 1923, he inscribed "Nanyang" for a periodical of the university, signaling his deep expectations on the teachers and students of the Jiaotong University.

Between 1928 and 1930, Sun Ke, son of Sun Yat-sen, became the president of the university. He advocated science and strived for the prosperity of the university. In his reign, the trinity of science, engineering and management took shape and opened up the golden time for the university.

Sun Sui-fong is Sun Yat-sen's grand-daughter and daughter of Sun Ke. She was born in Shanghai in 1936. For dozens of years, she has been dedicated to follow her grand-father's course and search and sort the historic remains of her grand-father. She studied her grand-father's works, delivered speech in the universities across the world and upheld the spirit of "tian xia wei gong".