February 15, 2012 (REVISED March 8, 2012) Library Display on Sun Yat-sen’s Life and Legacy Marks Centennial of the Republic of China

Drawn from the collections of the Library’s Asian Division, a display titled “Sun Yat-sen, 1866 – 1925” will be on view 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, March 10-16 in Room 150 of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. The display, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Asian Division’s China Team.

The display will focus on Sun Yat-sen, who led the 1911 revolution to overthrow the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty and is considered one of the founders of modern China. More than 30 books—some with photographs—will be on view, along with a rare Chinese newspaper and a reprint of his own calligraphy.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

The Library of Congress is a central repository for all types of Asian publications that are not broadly available at other locations in the United States. Initiated in 1869 with a gift of 10 works in 934 volumes offered to the United States by the Emperor of China, the Library's Asian collection of more than 3 million items is the largest and most comprehensive outside of Asia. For more information about the division and its holdings, go to www.loc.gov/rr/asian/.