The year 2011 is the 100th anniversary of Xinhai Revolution, the revolution that changed the destiny of all the Chinese people.
On October 11th, 1911, the supporters of Dr. Sun Yet-sun and other revolutionaries started the the Wuchang Uprising which marked the beginning of Xinhai Revolution against the Qing Dynasty, the feudal empire that ruled China for more than three hundreds and fifty years. The Qing Dynasty was officially dissolved on February 12th, 1912, which was followed by the establishment of the first republic in Asia - the Republic of China.
During Qing Dynasty, China was not ruled by the Han people, it was ruled by the Manchus who took over Beijing and overthrown the Ming Dynasty in 1644. China was completely closed up during the rules of Manchus which caused the domestic development to slow down. This serious of internal corruptions caused the western countries to invade China in the mid-1800's. British for example, started the Optium War against China and gain the rights over Hong Kong under the Treaty of Nanjing, which was the first unequal treaty signed in the history of China. The British also transported many opium to China and caused a great amount of Manchu officials to suffer illnesses and pains. Soon, Russians took northern Manchuria, Japan took over the island of Taiwan and Germany occupied the Shandong Peninsular. All of China was in chaos.
The people of China finally woke up in this chaos when revolutionaries such as Dr. Sun Yet-sun spreads the benefits of a democratic society. Soon, revolutionaries from all across China were united when Sun established Tongmenghui, known as the Chinese United League. After the overthrown of Qing Dynasty. The Provisional Government of Republic of China was established and Sun Yet-sun became the first president in China.
Today, Chinese from all across the world are celebrating the victory of Xinhai Revolution. October 11th is also known as the Double Ten Day in Taiwan, which is recognized as the National Day of the Republic of China.
