Sun Yatsen: an emblem of Chinese modernity

Sun Yatsen is the quintessential Chinese historical figure representing modernity in the country: a revolutionary representative of Chinese national identity who is still revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. This paper takes an interdisciplinary approach to four emblems of Sun’s politics and legacy, drawing upon semiotics, the study of material culture, social history and political history. The four signs on which the paper focuses are: Sun’s photographic portrait as Provisional President of the Republic of China; his photographic portrait as Director General of the National Railways; the suit which he created and which was given his name; and his mausoleum in Nanjing. The paper concludes that the three kinds of sign identified by Peirce, icon, index and symbol, have all been deployed to perpetuate Sun Yatsen’s memory and appropriate it in support of later political agendas.