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[beenthere96-2005]

Should be a big one this year - -

Double Ten Day

By Douglas Habecker

Long one of the major annual holidays in Taiwan, the Double Tenth holds the same significance for the public of China that July Fourth does for the United States of America. Although this day--which commemorates the start of the revolution which led to the formation of the ROC -- is no longer celebrated islandwide with the zeal it once was, it is still marked with massive parades and other displays in Taipei.
The history behind this national day provides foreigners with an interesting and informative background to the ROC. The roots of the revolution which overthrew China's Ching dynasty grew from the decades of humiliation the country suffered at the hands of foreign powers and the relative impotence of the Ching government in coping with such intrusions.
Foreign-related problems dated back to the Opium War with Great Britain, from 1839 to 1842, that ended in a British victory and the Treaty of Nanking, which opened five Chinese ports to British trade and consulates and ceded Hong Kong to England. This led to additional, similar treaties with other powers, including the United States and France.
What also followed were a series of wars -- including a Sino-Japanese conflict which resulted in Taiwan being ceded to the Japanese in 1894, failed rebellions against the government and other forms of chaos.
The revolutionary movement which finally brought the Ching dynasty down was led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, who founded a series of secret societies inside and outside China, including one in Taiwan. Consequently, Sun was exiled in 1905 and organized the Revolutionary Alliance in Tokyo which maintained a network of revolutionaries in China.
The revolution had its official beginning on October 10, 1911 when Sun's supporters, fearing that their plot had been uncovered by the arrest of one of their agents, started a revolt in Hupei province's Wuchang city. With the support of local residents and many defecting military officers, they soon captured the major city of Wuhan. This was followed by another major victory in Nanking two months later.
On January 1, 1912, the Revolutionary Alliance--which controlled 16 of China's 22 provinces at the time--set up a provisional parliament in Nanking and elected Sun as the provisional president of the ROC.
Northern China remained under the control of former Ching dynasty official Yuan Shih-kai and a settlement was reached between him and southern revolutionaries to unite the country. Sun agreed to turn his presidency over to Yuan and, on February 12, 1912, the last Ching ruler stepped down, ending 268 years of Manchu rule.
Yuan was a less-than-ideal caretaker for the new republic and, within about three years, declared himself as the new emperor. This, in turn, led to a military revolt against Yuan by a group of revolutionary generals.
The years and decades which followed were ones of war and extreme turmoil for China, marked by the May Fourth Movement in 1919, the 1920s Warlord Era, Japanese provocations and dominance of Manchuria, the rise of the Chinese Communist Party and World War II.
Nevertheless, the foundations had been laid for a new Chinese government and, more importantly, the system of democracy that Taiwan's people enjoy today.

[creztor]

Wouldn't mention the part about "democracy" in Taiwan to Pow3hatan... Double ten was just another day. Nothing special about it down here beyond people letting off a few more fireworks than normal.

[beenthere96-2005]

[adogadie]

[beenthere96-2005]

[adogadie]

So much has changed in the US since 1990 that I am afraid today it doesn't reflect a similar culture and America as I knew it back then is dead. Standing in an airport line getting frisked down and told repeatedly to shout my mouth when I complained about my shampoo bottles and lighters (some of them collectibles) indicated something nastily has changed.

Yesterday, while walking down the street in NY, they were holding a pro-Muslim demonstration nearby my location, and I have heard shouts against their (counter demonstrators) �go back to Europe�.

What a cold day in NYC. I can't wait till I return back to Taiwan. and be with little sweetie again in a community where people might stare at me, but never treat me as if I am an enemy coming to take over or something.

But of course I will have to go through that damn TSA stressful experience again. I have heard that the Airport experience is better up in the NW area, so perhaps I will get a ticket from Oregon or Seattle and head back to Taiwan. I guess that it has just been a bad day for me. I didn't see or feel the American culture I was once familiar with; at least not like the one I had grown up in. It has changed for sure. Even the bank I do business with displayed no �Merry Christmas� signs or even people wearing bottoms. But I'll say one thing is for sure, it is still nasty and cold during the winter in NY and NYC.