article: But on the 100th anniversary of the 10 October 1911 rebellion that sprang from the Xinhai Revolution, which ended 2,000 years of imperial rule and ushered Chinese people into a modern era, mention of the ROC is rare - except in Taiwan. In mainland China, the anniversary will be marked by mostly official activities that focus on the revolution and Sun Yat-sen, who inspired it, not the founding of the republic or Sun's principles of democracy. That is because the Communist Party, which had nothing to do with the revolution, does not want to give much credit to the ROC and its founders, the Nationalists (or Kuomintang, KMT). The two sides later fought a bloody civil war that ended with the Kuomintang fleeing to Taiwan in the late 1940s and re-establishing the republic there. But in Taiwan, the government - currently led by the Kuomintang - is sparing no efforts to make sure the world does not forget the 100th birthday of the republic. "It was the biggest event in China's 5,000-year history and a major change in political system which established the first republic in Asia," said the Kuomintang's historical archives director Shao Ming-huang. "That planted the seeds of rebellion in Asia against foreign forces' control," he said, saying one of the reasons why Sun wanted to overthrow the Qing was because it was too weak to fend off foreign invasions. On the island, the anniversary is being celebrated with much fanfare on Monday. A 40-minute fireworks show is planned in central Taiwan. Fireworks will also light up the skies in other areas, including Taipei. Many ordinary people watched the flag-raising ceremony in the morning and the subsequent activities, including a military parade involving more than 1,000 military personnel, 71 aircraft and 168 vehicles. Numerous couples got married in a mass wedding, and President Ma Ying-jeou made a speech. Even tourists were reminded - those arriving on Monday were presented with a centennial souvenir gift. But on the eve of the anniversary, the legacy of the ROC is inevitably debated. Some people blame it for corruption and incompetence which led to it losing mainland China to the Communists in the civil war. And in Taiwan, a still significant segment of the population views the KMT and ROC with resentment because of suppressive rule after relocating to Taiwan in the 1940s. Beijing cautious on centenary It is blamed for the 2/28 Incident in 1947 (an uprising sparked by the beating of a female vendor that lead to deadly riots) and a subsequent crackdown against dissidents known as the White Terror, which led to thousands of people being arrested, tortured, killed or persecuted. Martial law was not lifted until 1987. "The ROC is a Chinese government exiled in Taipei. It should be out of Taiwan," said Tsay Ting-kuei, who is one of a group of people who believe that when Japan lost WWII, Taiwan technically should not have been handed over to the ROC because that was not specified in the treaties signed between Japan and the Western victors in the war. Yeh
summary: One of the most important events of the 20th Century was the overthrow of China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing, and the founding of the Republic of China (ROC).