Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen founded the Revive China Society (Xingzhonghui) in Honolulu, the first modern revolutionary organization among overseas Chinese. The society aimed to overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish a republic, marking the beginning of organized revolutionary activity.

Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary activities culminated in the Wuchang Uprising of October 1911, which sparked the Xinhai Revolution. The uprising spread across China, leading to the abdication of the Qing emperor in 1912 and the end of 2,000 years of imperial rule.

On January 1, 1912, Sun Yat-sen was inaugurated as the provisional president of the Republic of China in Nanjing. He proclaimed the establishment of the first republic in Asia, based on his Three Principles of the People: nationalism, democracy, and livelihood.

To secure the abdication of the Qing emperor and avoid civil war, Sun Yat-sen resigned the provisional presidency in February 1912 in favor of Yuan Shikai. This decision, while pragmatic, allowed Yuan to consolidate power and later attempt to restore the monarchy.

Sun Yat-sen reorganized the Chinese Revolutionary Party into the Kuomintang (KMT) in 1919, with a more centralized structure. He later accepted Soviet aid and CCP members into the party under the policy of 'alliance with Russia and the Communists,' reshaping the revolutionary movement.