Sun Yat-sen (A Patriot with Unfulfilled Ambitions)

Author: (American) Clarence M. Wilbur, translated by Yang Shenzhi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-08-01
Features: At the time of this reproof of the book "Sun Yat-sen: The Unfinished Patriot," Professor Clarence M. Wilbur and translator Yang Shenzhi have both passed away. The publishing rights of the book were authorized by the widows of the two gentlemen, a situation that evokes deep emotion. The study of modern Chinese history, though fraught with difficulties, has never ceased to attract the attention of the Chinese people. The reason lies in the fact that the construction of a modern nation in China has spanned over a hundred years, and its journey is far from over. The era and characters described by Professor Wilbur in this masterpiece, the problems they faced and the difficulties in solving them, to a significant extent, remain our challenges today. This is also the value of the book's reissue. This new edition has been partially corrected by Mr. Zhang Pengyuan, for which we express our sincere gratitude!
Sun Yat-sen, the "Father of the Nation," is a controversial figure both in history and in the historical academia. During his lifetime, some hated him with a vengeance, others mocked him with scorn, and others revered him as a god. After his death, the "deification" movement of the leader further complicated the assessment of Sun Yat-sen. Wilbur believed that Sun Yat-sen's imagination and his ambition to transform China far exceeded the specific reality of the society he lived in and the forces he could mobilize. The contradiction between his subjective aspirations and the objective circumstances that repeatedly thwarted him gave rise to questions about his personality structure, a structure that drove Sun Yat-sen to pursue unattainable goals. Sun Yat-sen was a transitional figure. He reflected the great transformation from the declining feudal empire tradition to the industrialized, nation-state-oriented society of modern China. In this transformation, he played a political role, helping to bring about a democratic republic and preventing the restoration of monarchy. However, from a historical perspective, he was merely one among many figures swept away by the same tide.
Author Introduction: Clarence M. Wilbur (1908-1997) was a renowned scholar in the study of modern Chinese history. He held long-term positions at Columbia University in the United States and served as the director of its East Asian Institute. He also authored works such as "Village Government in China" (1934), "Slavery in China during the Former Han Dynasty" (1943), "The Nationalist Revolution in China, 1923-1928" (1984), and "China in My Life: An Historian's Own History" (1996). Together with Julie Lien-ying How, he compiled "Documents on Communism, Nationalism, and Soviet Advisers in China, 1918-1927: Papers Seized in the 1927 Peking Raid" (1956).