Sun Yat-sen or Sun Zhong Shan 1867-1925, Chinese revolutionary leader, founder of the Guomindang (Nationalist party) 1894, and provisional president of the Republic of China 1912 after playing a vital part in deposing the emperor. He was president of a breakaway government from 1921. Sun Yat-sen was the son of a Christian farmer. After many years in exile he returned to China during the 1911 revolution that overthrew the Manchu dynasty and was provisional president of the repblic in 1912. In an effort to bring unity to China he soon resigned in favour of the military leader Yuan Shih-k'ai. As a result of Yuan's increasingly dictatorial methods, Sun established an independent republic in Southern China based in Canton 1921. He was citicized for lack of organizational ability, but his 'three people's principles' of nationalism, democracy, and social reform are accepted by both the nationalists and the Chinese Communists - photo taken in 1896