Chinese Whispers: Rana Mitter on the legacy of Sun Yat-sen

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4.4 • 785 Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Walking around Taipei a couple of years ago, I spotted a familiar sight – a bronze statue of a moustachioed man, cane in his right hand, left leg striding forward. The man is Sun Yat-sen, considered modern China’s founding father. I recognised the statue because a larger version of it stands in the city centre of Nanjing, the mainland Chinese city that I was born and raised in.

That one figure can be celebrated across the strait, both in Communist PRC and Taiwanese ROC, is the curious legacy left behind by Sun. March 12th this year is the centenary of Sun’s death, so what better opportunity to look at his legacy, and who better to discuss Sun than the historian Rana Mitter, who needs no introduction with Chinese Whispers listeners.

Further listening:
Japan’s role in the making of modern China
What is it to be ‘Chinese’?

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of Chinese Whispers is sponsored by Alliance Witten Investment Trust.
0:05.2	From the OPEC oil crisis of the 1970s, the financial crash in 2008, to the COVID epidemic
0:12.0	and Liz Truss's doomed premiership. There has been no shortage of economic crises over the last 58 years.
0:18.9	And yet, throughout that time, every single year, without fail,
0:22.8	we've paid out an increased dividend to our shareholders. In fact, Alliance Witten's history
0:28.3	dates all the way back to 1888. And today, we manage around £5 billion in assets.
0:35.4	If you're looking for a less stressful way to invest in stocks and shares,
0:39.2	learn more about Alliance Witten and find your comfort zone.
0:52.0	Hello and welcome to Chinese Whispers with me, Cindy Yu.
0:55.5	Every episode, I'll be talking to journalists, experts and long-time China watchers
0:59.2	about the latest in Chinese politics, society and more.
1:03.3	There'll be a smattering of history to catch you up on the background knowledge
1:06.1	and some context as well.
1:08.0	How do the Chinese see these issues?
1:11.4	Walking around Taipei a couple of years ago, I spotted a familiar sight.
1:15.9	A bronze statue of a mustachioed man, caning his right hand, left leg striding forward.
1:21.0	The man is Sun Yetsun, considered modern China's founding father.
1:24.8	I recognize a statue because a larger version of it stands in the city
1:28.2	centre of Nanjing, the mainland Chinese city that I was born and raised in. That one figure can be
1:34.3	celebrated across the strait, both in communist PRC and Taiwanese ROC, is a curious legacy left behind by Sun.
1:41.8	March 12th this year is a centenary of his death. So what better opportunity
1:45.7	to look at his legacy? And who better to discuss Sun Yatsun than the historian Rana Mitter,
	...

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