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5. Umbilical Ties: The Framing of Overseas Chinese as the Mother of Revolution
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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75 5 UMBILICAL TIES: THE FRAMING OF OVERSEAS CHINESE AS THE MOTHER OF REVOLUTION1 Huang Jianli Introduction InencapsulatingthedynamictriangularrelationshipbetweenSunYat-sen 孙中山,Nanyang南洋(roughlytranscribedaspresent-daySoutheastAsia) andthe1911Revolution辛亥革命,themostfrequently-usedandiconic phrasehasbeen“OverseasChineseistheMotherofRevolution”华侨为革 命之母.Thisshortexpressionofpraiseunderliesthepremiumaccordedto SunYat-sen’sleadershipofXingzhonghui兴中会andTongmenghui同盟 会inmobilizingthevariousChinesemigrantcommunitieslocatedoutside ofChinafortheoverthrowoftheQing清dynastyandestablishmentof arepublic. Thereisaninstantlogictobestowingsuchahighhonouruponthe OverseasChinesebecauseSunandmanyofhisrepublicanrevolutionaries wereafterallexileswithapriceontheirheadsandtheirconspiratorial organizationswerebornandoperatedprimarilyoutsideofChina.The overseasprovisionofrevolutionaryassistanceintermsoffinance,manpower, propagandaandsafehavenwascritical.Yet,thereremainsanairofmystery 05SunYatSen.indd75 8/24/112:57:11PM 76 Huang Jianli inextantscholarshipastowhen,howandbywhomtheepithetwasfirst utteredandthecircumstancesitwasreiteratedatlaterstages.Moreover,the framingofOverseasChineseinthisparticularmannerhasbeenundermined byrevisionistscholarshipfromthe1970swhichtendedtointerrogatethe efficacyofSunYat-sen’soverseas-basedmovement.TheWuchangUprising 武昌起义inOctober1911,whichtookplaceincentralChinainstead of along the southern periphery, is now acknowledged to be basically unanticipatedandonlytenuouslylinkedtoSun.Themomentousspeedof thesubsequentimperialabdicationandusheringinoftheChineserepublic wasalsoprimarilymadepossibleonlybythedefectionoftheconservative constitutionalistgentryaswellasQingcivilandmilitarycourtofficials. OverseasChinesewasnotakeypartofthiseventualpowerplay.The “MotherofRevolution”hadnodecisiveroleinthefinaldeliveryofthe republicanbabydespitetheepithetwhichhasremainedincirculationup tothepresentday. ThischapterisnotmeanttoresolvetheargumentonwhetherOverseas Chinesetrulydeservethepraiseworthyepithet.Itsmainpurposeisto pindowntheepithet’ssurprisinglylateorigin,itstenacityandthecycles ofusagethroughouttheages.Withalackofconstancy,thereweretimes whenitwasrepeatedlyevokedanddurationswhenitretreatedintothe background.Effortwillbemadetocomprehendthecontextofboththe evocationsandsilences.Omissionsorsilencesarenoteasytobemanaged inhistorywritingbuttheyareanintegralpartofthestory.Itisastoryon howtheepithetbecomesapowerfulmystifyingsymbolwhichmediatesthe three-wayrelationshipamongSun,Nanyangandthe1911Revolutionin differentconfigurationsdependingonthechanginghistoricalcontextand onhowitservesasanumbilicalcordconnectingtheChinesediasporawith itsancestralland. Founding Father on the Mother of Revolution Intracingthehazyoriginoftheepithet,itisinescapabletobeconfronted byamountainofliteratureattributingitdirectlytoSunYat-senwhohad beennamedastheFoundingFather国父oftheRepublicofChina中华 民国thatwasinauguratedon1January1912.Thisstandardactoftagging thephraseto“thehorse’smouth”ispervasiveandoverwhelming.Butdid Sunactuallysayorwritetheseexactwords? Byexaminingtheextantpoolofsourcematerials,itbecomesapparent thatitwasmostunlikelyforSuntohavemadethatexactpronouncement. Oneproblematicevidenceputforwardreferstotheprescribedwordswhich 05SunYatSen.indd76 8/24/112:57:11PM [44.212.39.149] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 21:59 GMT) Framing of Overseas Chinese as the Mother of Revolution 77 Sunhadallegedlypennedinanunspecifiedyearontoahorizontally-inscribed boardfortheofficeofShaonianzhongguochenbao少年中国晨报[Morning NewspaperofYoungChina]inSanFrancisco.Thatsingleclaimwith noelaborationorcontextualizationwasmadebytheseniorKuomintang (hereafterabbreviatedasKMT)国民党 leaderQinXiaoyi秦孝仪when hespokeatanoralhistorysessioninAugust1980intheChiangKai-shek MemorialHall中正纪念堂 inTaipei.2 Thisfragmentofinformationwas pickedupandre-circulatedthricebyaNanyangreadingclub.3 However,no oneelsecameforthtoconfirmthis,nofurtherproofwasoffered...