Declaration for a Military Government 军政府宣言 20 August, 1905 壹玖零伍年捌月贰拾日 Dr. Sun Yat-sen Translated by Christopher C. Heselton 孙中山 译•史峥 After China’s a series of military defeat at the hands of Japan in 1894, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, like many Chinese of his generation, blamed the Qing government’s corruption and incompetence for the failure, and came to believe that the violent overthrow of Manchu dominated Qing dynasty as the only solution to realizing a viable Chinese nation-state. Sun soon thereafter went to the Republic of Hawaii (still an independent country at the time) and gathered with other like-minded members of the Chinese community in Honolulu to form the Revive China Society (兴中会) in November 24th, 1894. In 1895, Sun went to Hong Kong where he plotted an uprising in Guangzhou with another revolutionary group called the Furen Literary Society (辅仁文社). The plot failed, and Sun was forced into exile. Over this period Sun made a few more attempts to overthrow the Qing government while he was in exile in Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, and United States. Sun, however, was not the only revolutionary group active in China. Many other young Chinese nationalist actively sought the Qing’s overthrow. In February 1904, Huang Xing(黄兴) along with Song Jiaoren(宋教仁) and a dozen other young nationalist met in Hunan and formed the Revive China Association(华兴会). Also in 1904, Cai Yuanpei(蔡元培) formed the Restoration Society(光复会) in Shanghai, and Huang Fu(黄郛) and Yan Xishan(阎锡 山) formed the Men’s Group (丈夫团) for Chinese military cadets studying in Japan. In July 1905, the Kokuryukai(黑龍會), a major Japanese ultranationalist paramilitary society, helped organize a meeting between these Chinese revolutionary groups to form a coalition. In August 1905, these groups met in Tokyo at the Kokuryukai headquarters to lay out a broader coalition for the revolutionaries. By August 20th, an umbrella coalition called the United Chinese Revolutionary League (中华革命同盟会) or the Tongmenghui (United League) was formed and published a series of documents that outlined the principles and guidelines of any future revolution. Among these documents was the Declaration for a Military Government – purportedly authored by Sun Yat-sen – which laid out the general principles of the revolution and how they imagined it would be organized. The four articles of the declaration also became the basis of the oath that all members of the United League had to swear when joining: “Expel the Tartars, restore China, establish a republic, and equal land distribution” (驱除鞑虏，恢复中华，建立民国，平均地权). 2 Declaration for a Military Government Dr. Sun Yat-sen It is the will of heaven that in the years, months and days following, the commanders of the citizen’s army of China shall obey the orders of a military government, and the military government will follow these principles and conditions. Let it be known to the citizens. 天运岁次年月日，中华国民军军都督奉军政府命，以军政府之宗旨及条理，布告国民。 Presently, the citizen’s army is being formed to establish a military government, cleanse two-hundred and sixty years of barbaric rule1, restore the four thousand year rule of the land of our ancestors, and see to the happiness and prosperity of the four-hundred million.2 This is not only the duty of the military government; this should be upheld as the responsibility of all citizens. Since the beginning of our China, Chinese have governed China. Although at times other races have stolen and occupied [our land], our ancestors and our forefathers have always managed to expel [the other races] and recover [the land] to bequeath to their descendants. Today the Han people are leading a just war to eradicate the savages.3 This is a task laid for us by our forefathers – the righteousness of which all of the Han people should be perfectly clear. Revolutions in the past, such as the Ming or the Heavenly Kingdom of Peace,4 sought only to expel [the Manchus] and restore [the land] as their mission, but there was no other change [that they sought]. We today, unlike the previous generations, besides merely expelling the Tartars and restoring China,5 our hope for the integrity of the nation and livelihood of the people should transform the people. Though there are many ways to do so, the essence is consistent: freedom, equality, and compassion. Just as previous generations were revolutionary heroes, today we are revolutionary citizens. These revolutionary citizens believe in the essence that all people of the nation are entitled to freedom, equality, and compassion, and they bear the responsibility of the revolution, and the military government is merely a special part of that [revolution]. From hence forth, the responsibilities of citizens are the responsibilities of the military government; the deeds of the military government are the deeds of the citizens; the military government’s beliefs and efforts are one with the people until our task is complete. With clear earnestness we proclaim to the realm these principles of our revolution and future governance of the nation: 今者国民军起，立军政府，涤二百六十年之膻腥，复四千年之祖国，谋四万万人之福 祉，此不独军政府责无旁贷，凡我国民皆当引为己责者也。维我中国开国以来，以中国人治中 1 shānxīng(膻腥), which here is translated as “barbaric rule.” Shānxīng is a derogatory word to refer to the governance of northern pastoral peoples. In this case it is referring to the Qing dynasty founded by the Manchus. The word shānxīng originally referred to seafood, particularly fish as a category of food, but later came to refer to the “fishy” customs of northern pastoralist and then later their “fishy” rule. 2 Four-hundred million refers to the approximate population of China at the beginning of the twentieth century, but the actual wording is sìwànwàn(四万万), “forty-thousand ten-thousands,” which in the beginning of the twentieth century was term synonymous with “the people of China.” 3 tiǎnchú húlǔ(殄除胡虏), which here is translated as “eradicate the savages.” The term “eradicate” (tiǎnchú) in Chinese has very violent connotations; the character tiǎn in particular refers to massacring and death while the character chú can mean to wipe out from existence. The word “savage”( húlǔ) is a derogatory term that refers in this context to the Manchus; the character hú is a relatively benign character that refers generally to northern pastoralist, but the character lǔ is a derogatory term that refers to northern peoples, but the etymology of the word derives from “slave” and “captive,” which later came to mean “enemy” or “traitor” by the Song dynasty, and was often used to refer to the Khitans and Jurchens, to whom the Manchus claim descent. The character lǔ in this text, and many other text created by the United League, is frequently used in conjunction with other characters to refer to the Manchus. 4 The Heavenly Kingdom of Peace, taìpíng tīanguó(太平天国), refers to an uprising that began in 1850 led by Hong Xiuquan, who believed himself to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ and established a state called the Heavenly Kingdom of Peace with its capital Nanjing, and embroiled China in a 14 year civil war. One of the stated goals of Hong’s Heavenly Kingdom was to “expunge the demons from the world” – the demons they referred to were the Manchus, which was a message many of the founders of the United League sympathized. Later in the Republic, the Taipings were lauded as patriots fighting against Manchu oppression. 5 dálǔ(鞑虏) , which here is translated as “Tartars,” is yet another derogatory term referring to the Manchus. The word originally was a pejorative term for the Turkic-Mongol Tartar ethnic group, but later became a derogatory term for northern pastoralist in the late Qing – most likely from Western influences who used the English word “Tartars” to often refer to the Manchus despite having no close ethnic links (though some). 3 Declaration for a Military Government Dr. Sun Yat-sen 国，虽间有异族篡据，我祖我宗常能驱除光复，以贻后人。今汉人倡率义师，殄除胡虏，此为 上继先人遗烈，大义所在，凡我汉人当无不晓然。惟前代革 命如有明及太平天国，只以驱除 光复自任，此外无所转移。我等今日与前代殊，于驱除鞑虏、恢复中华之外，国体民生尚当与 民变革，虽纬经万端，要其一贯之精神，则为自由、平等、博爱。故前代为英雄革命，今日为 国民革命。所谓国民革命者，一国之人皆有自由、平等、博爱之精神，即皆负革命之责任，军 政府特为其枢机而已。自今以往，国民之责任即军政府之责任，军政府之功即国民之功，军政 府与国民同心戮力，以尽责任。用特披露腹心，以今日革命之经纶暨将来治国之大本，布告天 下： I To expel the Tartars to Manchuria along with all other barbarians to beyond our borders.6 In the past Ming dynasty, they have repeatedly invaded our borders. Later, they took advantage of the many ill- circumstances in China to push beyond the pass, destroy our China, occupy our government, force the Han people into slavery, and slaughtered a hundred-million people who refused to obey.7 Our Han people have been a people of a destroyed nation for two-hundred and sixty years.8 The Manchu government is evil and vicious, yet today many see this as beneficial.9 Our righteous army seeks to restore our government and return sovereignty. Those Han in the Manchurian army and others, if they see the err in their ways and surrender, will be pardoned; those that dare to resist will be killed with no remorse.10 Han that serve the Manchus are slaves and are traitors to the Han race, and will be dealt with similarly. 一 驱除鞑虏今之满洲，本塞外东胡。昔在明朝，屡为边患。后乘中国多事，长驱入关， 灭我中国，据我政府，迫我汉人为其奴隶，有不从者，杀戮亿万。我汉人为亡国之民者二百六 十年于斯。满政府穷凶极恶，今已贯盈。义师所指，覆彼政府，还我主权。其满洲汉军人等， 如悔悟来降者，免其罪；敢有抵抗，杀无赦！汉人有为满奴以作汉奸者，亦如之。 II To restore China to the Chinese - a China for the Chinese; the governance of China should be borne by the Chinese. Upon the expulsion of the Tartars, we shall restore the country of our race. Any that dare act as Shi 11 Jingtang or Wu Sangui, shall be attacked by all in the realm! 6 dōnghú(东胡) , which here is translated as “barbarians” is a general term for non-Han pastoralist from central Asia and the Mongolian steppelands.