A Program for a New China
In 1905, Sun Yat-sen united a number of anti-Manchu groups into a single patriotic
organization called the Revolutionary Alliance (Tongmenghui). The new organization
eventually formed the basis of his Guomindang (KMT) or Nationalist Party. This excerpt
is from the organization’s manifesto, published in 1905 in Tokyo.
Sun Yat-sen, Manifesto for Tongmenghuii
By order of the Military Government, . . . the Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese
National Army proclaims the purposes and platform of the Military Government for the
people of the nation:
Therefore we proclaim to the world in utmost sincerity the outline of the present
revolution and the fundamental plan for the future administration of the nation.
1. Drive out the Tartars: The Manchus of today were originally the eastern barbarians
beyond the Great Wall. They frequently caused border troubles during the Ming
Dynasty; then when China was in a disturbed state they came inside Shanhaikuan,
conquered China, and enslaved our Chinese people. . . . The extreme cruelties and
tyrannies of the Manchu government have now reached their limit. With the righteous
army poised against them, we will overthrow that government, and restore our
sovereign rights.
2. Restore China: China is the China of the Chinese. The government of China should
be in the hands of the Chinese. After driving out the Tartars we must restore our
national state. . . .
3. Establish the Republic: Now our revolution is based on equality, in order to establish
a republican government. All our people are equal and all enjoy political rights. The
president will be publicly chosen by the people of the country. The parliament will be
made up of members publicly chosen by the people of the country. A constitution of
the Chinese Republic will be enacted, and every person must abide by it. . . .
4. Equalize land ownership: The good fortune of civilization is to be shared by all the
people of the nation. We should improve our social and economic organization, and
assess the value of all the land in the country. Its present price shall be received by the
owner, but all increases in value resulting from reform and social improvements after
the revolution shall belong to the state, to be shared by all the people, in order to
create a socialist state, where each family within the empire can be well supported,
each person satisfied, and no one fail to secure employment. . . .
The above four points will be carried out in three steps in due order. The first period is
government by military law. When the righteous army has arisen, various places will join
the cause. The local administration, in areas where the enemy has been either already
defeated or not yet defeated, will be controlled in general by the Military Government, so
that step by step the accumulated evils can be swept away. Evils like the oppression of
the government, the greed and graft of officials, . . . the cruelty of tortures and penalties,
the tyranny of tax collections, the humiliation of the queue – shall all be exterminated
together with the Manchu rule. Evils in social customs, such as the keeping of slaves, the
cruelty of foot-binding, the spread of the poison of opium, should also be prohibited. . . .
The second period is that of government by a provisional constitution. When
military law is lifted in each hsien, the Military Government shall return the right of selfgovernment to the local people. . . . Six years after the securing of peace in the nation, the
provisional constitution shall be annulled and the constitution shall be promulgated.
The third period will be government under the constitution. Six years after the
provisional constitution has been enforced, a constitution shall be made. The military and
administrative powers of the Military Government shall be annulled; the people shall
elect the president, and elect the members of parliament to organize the parliament. The
administrative matters of the nation shall proceed according to the provisions of the
constitution.
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Excerpt from Sources of Chinese Tradition by Theodore De Bary. Copyright 1960 by Columbia
University Press, New York.