Narrating Sun Yat-sen: Explaining The People’s Republic of China and Republic of China’s (Taiwan) Developments Concerning Leninism, Christianity, and Democracy

This dissertation strives to overcome scientific knowledge gaps related to Sun Yat-sen’s life, as well as the gaps surrounding the concepts that are crucial in understanding his persona: Leninism, Christianity, and democracy. Through comparing interpretations of Sun’s political philosophy in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Republic of China (ROC/Taiwan), this thesis will attempt to elucidate how he was crucial in shaping their respective governmental systems. The main research question that this dissertation aspires to answer is: “Considering how the narrative surrounding Sun Yat-sen’s life and ideology shifted over time in both the PRC and ROC, i.e., How can the actual historical figure still be representative of contemporary governmental forms and societies in the two states?” Therefore, this project aspires to answer multiple sub-questions in the process of resolving the main research question: I) “How did Christianity influence the "historical Sun Yat-sen" and how can this be framed in the current ‘"revolutionary awakening" narrative in the PRC?” II) “Considering the influence of Leninism on Sun Yat-sen and the prominent inclusion of the concept in his ideology: how can one interpret the distinctively discrepant (Leninist) evolutions in the PRC and the ROC's political structures?" III) “What are the narratives surrounding Sun Yat-sen’s timetable on democratization, and how can this be related to the later – lack of – democratic developments in the PRC and ROC?”