Dr. Sun Yat-sen is recognized as the father of Modern China by the Communists and Kuomingtang. He passed away in Beijing in 1925. Construction of his mausoleum started in January of 1926, completed in 1929.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum is located at the southern foot of Mount Xiaomaoshan, part of Mount Zhongshan. The grave is situated at 158 meters above sea level, the difference of height between the upper and lower levels is 73 meters, the level distance between the memorial archway and the grave is 700 meters and the mausoleum encompasses 3000 hectares (7500 acres), of which 2133 hectares (5332.5 acres) are covered with all kinds of tress.

The main structures include memorial archway, tomb passage, mausoleum gate, tablet pavilion, sacrificial hall, and coffin chamber. A flight of 392 steps leads from the ground level to the coffin chamber in which is a gypsum statue of a seated Dr. Sun (sculpted in France by a Polish friend, Landowski). Dr. Sun’s remains are beneath a recumbent marble statue of him in the circular crypt behind the hall.

A tablet hanging across the threshold is inscribed with the “Three Principles of the People”, as formulated by Dr. Sun: Nationalism, democracy and people’s livelihood. The walls are carved with the complete text of the Outline of Principles for the Establishment of the Nation put forward by the Nationalist government.

Nanjing Photo Gallery