The national day of the Republic of China, on 10th October (Double Ten Day), commemorates the Wuchang uprising in 1911 which was the start of the Xinhai Revolution – leading to the establishment of the Republic. After 4,000 years of dynastic autocratic rulers in China, the latest in that line, the Qing Dynasty, was eventually overthrown after a year of turmoil, conflict and negotiation. The ideological basis for this new state was the Three Principles of the People, a doctrine proposed by Sun Yat-sen which included Mínzú (nationalism), Mínquán (democracy) and Mínshēng (the people's livelihood). In mainland China, Hong Kong and overseas Chinese communities this event is celebrated simply as the anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution, but in Taiwan, the government officially claims the country to be the one and the same Republic of China founded in the chaos of 1911-1912. The event is therefore celebrated as National Day, with much pomp and circumstance in Taipei, including fireworks, military parades and the president taking the salute.
The Xinhai Revolution also serves as the starting point for the Republican calendar still used today in Taiwan. According to this reckoning, 1912 was the first year of the Republic and consequently became year 1, meaning that the year 2006 is styled the 95th Year of the Republic (民國95年; Mínguó 95 nián). Reminders of the revolution abound in Taiwan, if you know where to look. Many cities have a Xinhai Road, an Wuchang St or a Shuangshi (Double Ten) Boulevard. The man remembered as the "Father of the Nation", Dr Sun Yat-sen, is remembered all over the island - wherever there is a Zhongshan Road, Park or Center, this refers to the Mandarin pronunciation of his honorific name, Sun Zhongshan. One of the more interesting reminders of the date is the shape of Taipei City Hall, built after the Nationalists fled the mainland in 1949. When seen from the air, the building forms the shape of two Chinese characters for the number ten side by side (十十), thus expressing the continuity of the regime on Taiwan with the Republic that had lost the civil war in China.
In recent years with the increasing nativist sentiment in Taiwan and a lessening attachment to the mainland questions have arisen about the validity of the holiday, with some high-profile figures suggesting the day should be scrapped, possibly to replaced with a "Taiwan Day" of some sorts, although such a move would be furiously opposed both by China and the pan-Blue, pan-China lobby in Taiwan. With political and geo-political concerns forcing a more pragmatic course on the leaders of the country, the festival is unlikely to disappear in the near future as it is closely bound up with the touchstone issues of sovereignty and independence. In the mean-time, the wider political significance of the day is diminishing and many Taiwanese now see the holiday as simply a chance to take it easy and enjoy the rare opportunity to relax.
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