In February 1912, the Qing emperor abdicated, and Sun Yat-sen was also forced to resign from his post as interim president and give way to Yuan Shikai .
In order to better supervise Yuan Shikai, the Revolutionary Party advocated that the provisional government set the capital of Nanjing, so that the other party could leave Beijing and take office in Nanjing.
But Yuan Shikai naturally was unwilling to do so. He insisted on building the capital in Beijing and created a mutiny for this. He was finally able to take over in Beijing and became the second interim president after Sun Yat-sen.
Sun Yat-sen
But we all know that in 1927, Nanjing National Government was established and became the legal government representing China after Northern Expedition . It was not until 1948 that it was disbanded with the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek. In the incident of
, many people saw Sun Yat-sen's emphasis on Nanjing, but few people knew that before that, he once said this in 1902: "If you plan for the headquarters, you will be Wuchang ; if you plan for the vassal state, you will be Xi'an; if you plan for the continent, you will be Yili ."
In other words, Sun Yat-sen's most optimistic capital is actually Wuchang and Yili, and he did not consider Nanjing at the beginning, but he changed his words due to the situation.
So, what exactly happened when it comes to capital determination? Why did Sun Yat-sen admire Yili so much, but in the end he never mentioned it?
The key to establishing the capital
The importance of the capital is well known. As a country's political center and the location of the central government, the choice must be carefully considered.
We can first analyze the choice of capitals in previous dynasties. In ancient times, one of the keys to building a capital in our country was "in the world", which means choosing a central location, which is very convenient to go to all parts of the world.
Therefore, after referring to various factors in history, most of the capitals chosen by countries basically meet this point. Early capitals also mostly converted in Xi'an, Luoyang , Anyang and other places.
until th generation , the political center began to move south, Kaifeng, Nanjing and Hangzhou began to enter the historical stage, and Nanjing's status rose rapidly after being recognized by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang .
Nanjing's terrain meets the requirements of the "Four Symbols" of ancient Feng Shui theory. It is surrounded by tigers and dragons. It also has Yangtze River as a natural barrier. Since Song Dynasty 's economic center of gravity moved southward, the economy of Nanjing has been very prosperous and is in line with the needs of the capital.
These are part of the reason why Sun Yat-sen and others are optimistic about Nanjing. Moreover, Nanjing was also the establishment of the provisional government of the Republic of China. It is indeed a better choice than Beijing, which was occupied by various forces at that time.
At first, Sun Yat-sen chose Wuchang before he was in Nanjing, but everyone knows that Yuan Shikai would definitely not agree. After all, this is the foundation of Tongmenghui .
But for Yuan Shikai, it is not a good choice for him to settle the capital of Nanjing. Even if it is very good here, it is a fatal disadvantage if it is directly controlled by the revolutionary party.
At that time, although Yuan Shikai had a cooperative relationship with the Revolutionary Party, both sides actually had their own little thoughts. In order not to go south, "Yuan Datou", who was always tough, came up with an idea.
He appeared to agree to take office in Nanjing and respected the members of the special mission team who visited Beijing, but on the evening of February 29, a "mutine" suddenly occurred in Beijing.
Beijing attachment made a loud gunfire, and even rushed into the residence of the special envoy. Yuan Shikai used this as a reason to express that he wanted to "put the rebellion" here. So in the end, Yuan Shikai took office in Beijing and later set the capital in Beijing.
It was like this, until the beginning of the Northern Expedition, the National Government was established, and the capital of Nanjing was established in 1927. Zhang Xueliang announced the "change of flags", and Nanjing became the capital again.
Because Sun Yat-sen was buried here and had the existence of the National Government for many years, the urban planning and construction after Nanjing were greatly affected, and many buildings related to Sun Yat-sen were left behind.
So in the hearts of many people, Sun Yat-sen and Nanjing have a deep relationship. He valued Nanjing the most, but in fact, in his heart, he has always had deep concerns about Yili.
Sun Yat-sen's "Ili" complex
"If you plan for the headquarters, you will be Wuchang, if you plan for the vassal state, you will be Xi'an, if you plan for the continent, you will be Yili."
In fact, when you first saw this sentence, many people would be a little puzzled. Compared with famous cities such as Wuchang, Xi'an, and Nanjing, Yili seems to be unable to rank at all, so why was it carried to this height by Sun Yat-sen?
According to this statement, it means that if you choose Xinjiang Yili, you will be trying to dominate Asia. Moreover, this statement is not only because Sun Yat-sen thinks so alone, but also Mr. Qian Mu has this idea.
Qianmu
Then is Yili a Feng Shui treasure land? This is not true. Yili area is in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which is the remote northwest in the eyes of many people, and is very close to India and Mongolia. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is surrounded by enemies.
But because of this, if you choose Yili, your attention will not only be focused on China, but on the entire Asia.
If the capital of Yili is determined, then the originally relatively weak border defenses in the southwest and northwest will definitely develop quickly. On the one hand, it can deter Tsarist Russia and the United Kingdom and on the other hand, it can also wait for an opportunity to regain the territory that has lost control.
actually has many related examples. Looking back at all dynasties, there are always some turmoil that occurs because the capital is too far away, resulting in uncontrollable.
Some dynasties fell apart due to the riots of the vassal kings, and some dynasties died due to the invasion of foreign enemies. These bloody examples made Sun Yat-sen always remember them in his heart. Looking at the lessons of history, he did not need to establish a new regime to repeat the same mistakes.
At that time, foreign enemies such as Tsarist Russia and British-controlled India were eyeing the northwestern border. If they wanted to go here to move, it would be difficult for the mainland to provide timely support.
Moreover, there are many ethnic minorities here in Yili. If the distance from the central regime is too far apart for a long time, turmoil will easily occur. The subsequent Xinjiang incident also proves this.
So in terms of national defense and regime stability, Mr. Sun Yat-sen cannot ignore the Xinjiang region, let alone this is still a "big treasure house".
Yili developed well during the Qing Dynasty . At that time, the " Huiyuancheng " named by Qianlong was the largest city in Xinjiang and its commerce was very prosperous.
Many people think that the backward Yili actually has trade port resources. Among them, Horgos Port was once an important station in China and Germany on the Silk Road route. Therefore, in Sun Yat-sen's view, setting the capital of Yili is a very promising choice.
In Sun Yat-sen's heart, Xinjiang region has always been an unpolished piece of uncensored jade. If it is developed here, the vast land and rich resources will be infinite wealth.
In addition to the ports and geographical location mentioned above, Yili has indeed rich natural resources. Qianlong once developed a lead field here to provide raw materials for the arsenal, and other copper mining and iron smelting industries have also developed very well.
See this, everyone is probably curious. Since Yili is so good, why did Sun Yat-sen mention this idea before, but when the capital was really started to be built in 1912, it never mentioned it again?
Actually, there is an answer above, that is, although this idea is great and has a longer-term future, it is really too whimsical for the situation at that time.
Yuan Shikai even disagrees with his position in Nanjing and Kaifeng, so how could he agree to go to Yili? Even if he was willing, the complex entanglements of various domestic forces and the covetous eyes of foreign forces did not meet the conditions for determining the capital Yili.
Because as the saying goes, if you want to stabilize the country and solve the current problem, you are going to establish the capital of Wuchang. If you have the ambition to dominate Asia and want to expand the radiation range, you will choose Yili.
But seeing that even our own affairs have not been resolved yet, how can we have the conditions to revive the glory of a great country in Asia? So after the establishment of the Provisional Government, Sun Yat-sen did not mention this matter again. In the end, Nanjing overcame Wuchang and became the capital.
Did Sun Yat-sen really give up his ideas and also give up the development of Xinjiang? If you think so, you will underestimate the "Father of the Republic of China" who took the lead in holding up the banner of anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism.
never forgets it, there will be a resounding
Although Sun Yat-sen's initial idea failed to come true, his attention to Xinjiang has never decreased. Even after he stepped down and gave way to Yuan Shikai, he continued to contribute to Xinjiang's development.
After Sun Yat-sen stepped down in 1912, while continuing to promote people's livelihood, he began to serve as the national railway supervisor. With his unique vision, he wanted to use foreign capital to build railway trunk line and gave the "100,000-mile railway plan".
The second line is related to the Yili area. The route he planned will start from the Yangtze River mouth and finally surpass Xinjiang. It will end in Yili, so that Yili and Shandong can "be neighbors."
In fact, it can be seen from this that Sun Yat-sen's foresight. For China at that time, the transportation industry really needed development. It can be said that the export of capital from the great powers in my country was inseparable from the railway they built.
So he really hopes that we can establish our own transportation network in China, and in this way, the remote Xinjiang region can break down barriers, connect with all parts of the country, and solve many hidden dangers.
But unfortunately, because Yuan Shikai held great power, the national situation at that time could not support this plan, so it could only be left alone. This idea was slowly realized after the founding of New China in .
Now, we can start from Yili and go to Central Asian countries and successfully go to Asian countries. This once again proves that Sun Yat-sen's ideas at that time were very valuable.
And he wants to develop the Northwest region not only for the future of the country, but also for the interests of the people.
In 1882, the United States passed the China Exclusion Act at that time. At that time, all parts of the world were very unfriendly to the Chinese people, especially the Chinese workers who were abroad, who were tortured and exploited in their work and life.
So Sun Yat-sen thought, if the vast and sparsely populated northwest region could be developed, why would the Chinese go outside and be bullied?
That's why he proposed the construction of transportation and water conservancy projects. In addition, he also proposed the plan for immigration to Xinjiang.
Sun Yat-sen carefully investigated the experience of backward development areas in countries such as the United States and Canada, and gave a plan, which is to transfer the excess population in the southeast to the northwest region. When the Xinjiang region develops, the effect will be unimaginable.
, let’s not talk about agricultural production, but only take animal husbandry as an example. At that time, the northwest of my country exported furs to the outside world, and foreigners sold the processed products to our country at a high price. Our northwest became a ranch for other people. Isn’t this giving money to others?
So Sun Yat-sen believes that if the northwest can have manpower and build a base for animal husbandry and fur processing industry, it will definitely be a good thing that all the people will benefit.
Not to mention the rich mineral resources that Xinjiang has. Before, due to war, Xinjiang's modern industry has not developed. If we seize the opportunity now, we will almost discover "gold mountains".
Sun Yat-sen's ideas are still guiding even after many years. These plans are not only his love and attention to Xinjiang, but also symbolize his sincere love for the Chinese people.
But unfortunately, these grand Xinjiang development plans failed to be implemented. This was not because Sun Yat-sen was "unrealistic", but because the government was corrupt and the national situation was chaotic at that time, so it failed to come true.
But fortunately, after the founding of New China, our country is also vigorously building the Xinjiang region. Some of Sun Yat-sen's previous ideas have become reality and have even achieved better development.
In March 1925, Sun Yat-sen died of illness in Beijing. On his dying day, he still issued a call for "the revolution has not been successful yet, and comrades still need to work hard." Thousands of citizens also took over the burden of revitalizing China and continued to move forward.
I think if he could learn about the subsequent development and prosperity of Xinjiang, he would definitely be smiling.
Conclusion
Among the key projects of the autonomous region in 2022 announced by Xinjiang, we can see that the total investment for water conservancy projects alone reaches more than 190 billion, while the total investment in transportation is more than 400 billion.
Aksu Railway Project, Hotan Railway Project, Ukrainian Railway Energy Expansion and Renovation Project, etc., the long list seems to be a letter to the deceased great man, telling him that his regrets have been made up...
. According to data, Xinjiang's GDP in 2021 will be 1.6 trillion yuan, of which 12,210 trains transiting to Central Asia have become a reality.
Beautiful Yili
Under the leadership of Communist Party , we are now step by step putting the ideas of our predecessors into the ground, and have already moved forward to a distance they have never seen.
also hopes that in the further future, we can be as strong as Mr. Sun Yat-sen dreamed of, and no one dares to invade and bully our country and people. China can become an unsustainable world power.
But as we have always insisted, our eyes are far away, but our steps will not invade other countries' land.
Share peacefully, these four simple words, if every country can do it, the future of this world will definitely be better...
