Sun Yat-Sen was not the only person to take part in the revolution of 1911. Below are some of the Revolutionaries that helped make the revolution possible and successful.
Sun Mei (Elder Brother of Sun Yat-Sen)
Seeking a better life Sun Mei left China and arrived in Honolulu in 1871. He held a variety of occupations on Oahu, and was especially successful in real estate. In 1879 when his brother Sun Wen arrived, he provided Sun Wen with the best possible education at Iolani and Punahou schools. Sun Mei moved to Maui in 1881, operated a store, and created Kama’ole Ranch, where he raised cattle and hogs and started a coffee plantation. After the failed First Uprising in 1895 in Guangzhou, the ranch became a safe haven for the mother Yang Shi and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s family. Sun Mei made a fortune and wholeheartedly committed it to Dr. Sun’s Successful revolution, freeing China from the Qing Dynasty. Despite crippling agonies, this filial son responsibly supported and protected his family. Even after his business collapsed, he continued to contribute to his brothers’ activities by raising funds, recruiting people, and even planning fro the armed uprising movement. He was indeed a hero behind the scenes.
Homer Lea (Revolutionary Architect)
Close advisor and geopolitical strategist to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen during the revolution. Helped lead and train the soldiers.
Ansel O’Banion (Commanding Military Officer)
Trained the soldiers in secrecy for the revolution.
Lu Haodong (Revolutionary Martyr)
Sun Yat-Sen and Lu Haodong were playmates in Cuiheng Village, Guangdong Province. When the two boys became young men and began to plot revolution, they would often meet on the second floor of the Lu family home. Lu designed the Revolutionary Army’s official flag, which depicted a white sun against a blue sky. An action date was set for October, but word went out unexpectedly. While Lu was preparing to destroy the party’s membership list, he fell into enemy hands at his office and was executed in November of the same year. Sun called Lu “the first person to have been martyred for the Republican Revolution in China.”
Teng Yin-nan (Revolutionary Leader, Visionary, and Ardent Supporter of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen)
Teng Yin-nan was instrument in providing leadership and finances for Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. He rose from his position of laborer to owner ship of land in Maui. He liquidated much of his Maui holdings to help finance the revolution. From his humble beginnings in the village of Hoiping, Guangdong Province, to his work on the sugar plantations of Maui, to his revolutionary work with Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, Teng Yin-nan lived a colorful life of adventure and service to the revolutionary cause.
Chung-kun Ai
Chung-kun Ai, also known as C.K. Ai, was a classmate of Dr. Sun at Iolani School and an early supporter and active member of his revolutionary organizations, Xing Zhong Hui and Tong Meng Hui.
Chang Chau
Chang Chau was the sworn brother of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen and was with him in two rebellions and his companion in two of his escapes. Both Chang Chau and his older brother, Chang Kim, attended the first meeting of the Hsing Chung Hui in Honolulu in 1894.
Fong Inn
Fong Inn was a very successful business man in Hawaii and a supporter of Dr. Sun. He and a group of friends testified that Sun Yat-Sen was born in Hawaii so that Sun could get a birth certificate issued by the Territory or Hawaii. This helped Sun travel between the U.S. and other countries, especially after the U.S. Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred Chinese from entering the country.
Ho Fon
Ho Fon was a close friend of C.K. Ai and Sun Yat-Sen from Iolani School. The first Hsing Chung Hui Meeting was held in his home located on Emma Lane in Honolulu. He was elected one of the vice-chairmen at the meeting.
Luke Chan
Luke Chan, also known as Lu Can, was close friends with Sun Yat-Sen. After the first Canton Uprising failed, he helped to bring Sun’s family members to Hawaii to escape persecution. He joined the Hsing Chung Hui in 1894 and was a founder of the See Dai Doo Society.
Goon Wah Young
Goon Wah Young was the proprietor of Young Goon Fancy Dry Goods in Maui. Fabric for Dr. Sun’s Revolutionary flags were purchased from that department store.
Young Kwong-tat
Young Kwong-tat was a member of Chung Hua Keming Hui Hawaii secret chapter in Honolulu. His store, Kwong Chong Loong, was the center where Tung Meng Hui members in Hawaii held their meetings.
Young Sen Yet
Young Sen Yet could be considered the “Father of China’s Air Force.” Young designed and flew the first Chinese-built airplane and was one of the 72 National Martyrs of Revolutionary.
Wong Let
Wong Let was an active member of Tong Meng Hui. He joined the first Canton uprising at the age of 17 and brought his pistol with him. His original name was Wong Goong Let, “Goong” meant “official”. After Sun Yat-Sen made a speech saying we are to serve the people and not be officials, Wong changed his name to Wong Let, dropping the word “Goong”.
