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Yatsen

Yatsen is an historical transliteration variant that has appeared in some English-language and other historical sources to refer to Sun Yat-sen, the Chinese revolutionary leader and statesman who played a pivotal role in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the founding of the Republic of China. In these sources, the given name of Sun is rendered as Yat-sen or Yatsen, reflecting older romanization practices. In modern usage, the name is usually written as Sun Yat-sen in pinyin, or Sun Zhongshan in the standard Chinese form.

Name and romanization context

The form Yatsen arises from Wade-Giles and related early 20th-century romanizations of Chinese names. With the

Biographical overview

Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925) was a key figure in the Chinese revolutionary movement. He helped organize the Tongmenghui

Legacy and usage

Sun Yat-sen is honored as a founding father of modern China in both the Republic of China

adoption
of
the
pinyin
system,
the
conventional
spelling
for
Sun’s
name
shifted
to
Sun
Yat-sen
in
most
international
contexts.
Consequently,
Yatsen
is
now
primarily
found
in
historical
texts,
archives,
or
discussions
of
early
20th-century
scholarship.
and
led
efforts
that
contributed
to
the
end
of
imperial
rule
in
China.
He
is
widely
regarded
as
a
founder
of
the
Republic
of
China
and
as
an
advocate
of
his
Three
Principles
of
the
People:
nationalism,
democracy,
and
the
people’s
livelihood.
He
served
as
the
Republic’s
provisional
president
early
in
its
founding
and
remained
an
influential
political
and
ideological
leader
until
his
death.
(Taiwan)
and
the
People’s
Republic
of
China,
though
the
exact
political
emphasis
varies
by
tradition.
The
spelling
Yatsen
is
largely
of
historical
interest
and
is
rarely
used
in
contemporary
writing,
where
Sun
Yat-sen
or
Sun
Zhongshan
are
preferred.