Thursday, November 08, 2012

The Father of the Republic

This morning, our guide Elsie took us to a park dedicated to Sun Yat-sen.  In the center is an impressive building with an auditorium where various performances take place (Coming soon!  Riverdance!).  Sun Yat-sen helped overthrow the last dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, and is known as the father of the Republic of China.  Much of his education was in the United States and he eventually became a doctor.  He was baptized by an American missionary in Hong Kong and converted to Christianity,
 
A first for me:  As we drew near the statue, two college students came up to me and asked to have their picture taken with me!  Elsie told us that the schools teach English from the very start, though the quality of the instruction can vary, of course.  I've been very impressed by how many of the people here speak English, especially when you consider how few Americans know any Mandarin.
 
 
 

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