Part 3/14:
A wave of new ideas challenged traditional Confucian values. A Western-inspired press questioned the old order, and military officers and intellectuals educated abroad in Europe and America embraced republican ideals. Many envisioned a modern, unified China—a stark contrast to the disunity fostered by regional warlords.
Sun Yat-sen and the 1911 Revolution
Chief among the revolutionaries was Sun Yat-sen, a visionary born in southern China and educated in Hawaii. Returning as a young man, Sun founded the Revolutionary Republic of China in 1894, advocating for a U.S.-style republic rooted in nationalism and centralized sovereignty. He criticized the traditional loyalty to family and clans, which he believed hindered national unity.