China held a commemorative ceremony in Beijing this morning to mark the centennial anniversary of the Revolution of 1911 (or Xinhai Revolution), which ended imperial rule in China.
Chinese President Hu Jintao, former president Jiang Zemin and other leaders attended the ceremony, where Hu delivered a speech to highly praise the revolution and Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the leader of the historic event.
"The revolution was a thoroughly modern, national and democratic revolution which shook the world and ushered in unprecedented social changes in China," he commented in his speech.
The country also saw series of commemorative events held nationwide and overseas, including functions at embassies in Mongolia, North Korea, Brazil and Vietnam, art and photo exhibitions in Wuhan, Nanjing and Chengdu, and the opening of Xinhai Revolution museums in Guangzhou and Wuhan,. A number of movies with related historical content also hit cinemas during Golden Week (October 1-7).
The People's Daily, a newspaper owned by the Communist Party of China (CPC), said in its editorial that the Xinhai Revolution unshackled Chinese people's minds from feudalist ideas and caused the ideas of democracy and equality to be deeply rooted into the country. "Brains and knees are not for kneeling and kowtowing, but for thinking and advancing," the paper added concisely.
The revolution no doubt prepared the country economically and ideologically for the birth of the CPC and for the dissemination of socialism across the country in order to save the nation and its people, the Daily said.
Fei Zhengqing, a renowned scholar in China, asserted that the new political body established after the revolution was nothing but a thin skin which only served as a coating of old China and failed to affect ordinary people and society. His statement has been echoed by some foreign analysts, who stated that the new political system was just a vapid replica of foreign politics, which did not have a root in China's history and tradition or in the soil of society.
The CPC united the vast majority of Chinese people to found the present republic and led the country into a new historic era. Through over three decades of development via reform and opening up, China has found the correct path -- socialism with Chinese characteristics -- to rejuvenate the country, according to the paper.
The path is based on historical lessons and experiences, Hu said, adding that "This path accords with China's realities and the demands of the times, and conforms to the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation."
Before the revolution, Chinese people were unable to stop the government in power from making poor decisions; unfortunately, after the revolution they also failed to immediately establish a political system based on democracy. The transit itself was too unstable to constitute any fundamental change. The very point of today's commemoration was reflection and self-examination, not just to hold a ceremony, commented The Beijing News.
"I think the fundamental meaning of Xinhai Revolution is that it swung the doors of democracy and freedom open to Chinese people," said Comrade Gufeng, a web blogger.
Another microblogger posted that the toppling of the Qing Dynasty brought China the power of hope, and that the zeal of revolutionists gave Chinese people spiritual power. However, according to the post, its limitations and eventual failure have taught the Chinese the importance and strength of the correct ideology and the people's interests. "We should learn from these lessons and avoid similar mistakes," the post said.
Taiwan also had celebrations commemorating the anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution, as it coincided with the founding of the Republic of China - a name still used by Taiwan's Kuomindang (KMT). The ROC was the ruling government on the Chinese mainland for several decades before KMT moved to Taiwan in the 1940s. In this vein, the Xinhai Revolution remains a symbol of the shared legacy between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
President Hu said efforts are needed to strengthen the political common ground of opposing "Taiwan independence" and upholding the 1992 Consensus.
He said, "We should . . . end cross-Straits antagonism, heal wounds of the past and work together to achieve the great rejuvenation of the entire Chinese nation," echoing the goals of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and other pioneers of the revolution.
The grand events held on the Chinese mainland attracted the attention of media across the strait.
A veteran journalist, Yu Xuan, told the Global Times that the common commemoration of the revolution, despite the different names and forms, expresses a similar way of thinking among the two sides and a common sense of glory.
The Taiwan United Daily News reported that the Chinese mainland has aimed at establishing a common ground for cross-strait exchanges and at finding consensus on the notion of nationality.
The Hong Kong Mingpao Daily News said the events show the mainland's understanding of the principles of the Xinhai Revolution, as free and open academic discussion of the event was encouraged and an emphasis on consensus was shown with regard to cross-straits relations.
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