Modern China began on October 10, 1911, when the Xinhai Rebellion overthrew 5,000 years of dynastic rule. Although he was not present, Dr Sun Yat-sen was named Guo Fu, or Father of the Nation. Both Taipei and Beijing regard Dr Sun as the founder of modern China. Sun was a medical doctor, trained in Hong Kong.
The Xinhai Rebellion was the beginning of the Republic of China, and the anniversary has been celebrated ever since as “Double Ten” in Taiwan. Th…