Double Ten Parade 2025

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Statue on the River Street Walk in Chinatown, Honolulu

Every year, the Double Ten Parade is held at the Chinese Cultural Plaza in Honolulu's historic Chinatown to celebrate Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the Wuchang Uprising, the establishment of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and ultimately, the end of the Qing Dynasty.

Double Ten symbol often used to represent this holiday.

On October 10, 1911, the Wuchang Uprising began which put an end to the 2,133 year imperial rule under the Qing Dynasty. The Xinhai Revolution that resulted from the uprising gave rise to the Republic of China which became the new government of mainland China when the last emperor Puyi abdicated his throne on February 12, 1912. However, the Chinese Civil War forced the ROC to the island of Taiwan in 1949. With the ROC firmly established in Taiwan, the celebration of the Uprising and Revolution became what is known today as Double Ten Day, National Republic of China Day, and in Taiwan, National Taiwan Day. But what does this have to do with Hawai'i?

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen was one of four revolutionaries that played a key role in the establishment of the ROC. He was born on mainland China in Guangdong and moved to the Kingdom of Hawai'i at the age of 10 to live with his brother. He attended 'Iolani School where he studied English, British History, Mathematics, Science, and Christianity. He graduated in 1882 and went on to attend Oahu College, now known as Punahou School, however, his brother sent him back to China in 1883 when his interest in Christianity went further than his brother appreciated. A few months later, his parents moved him to Hong Kong where he eventually studied medicine and graduated as a doctor from the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese.

Portrait of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen

Hawai'i made a large impact on Dr. Sun Yat-Sen and his revolutionary views on democracy. His first contact with Christianity occurred at 'Iolani School which was under the supervision of the Church of Hawai'i. He would go on to be baptized in Hong Kong and attend To Tsai Church. His involvement in Christianity was the catalyst for his contribution to the Wuchang Uprising and he likened his idea of revolution and advancement to that of salvation. He would eventually leave Hong Kong to return to Hawai'i where he established the Revive China Society.

A lot happened after that. There are a lot of details involved with the story of Double Ten Day and Dr. Sun but the TL;DR is that Dr. Sun Yat-Sen started several failed uprisings but kept the revolutionary spirit alive through his establishment and merging of several societies into one large party bent on making the Republic of China a reality. He would use Hawai'i as a base for fundraising and sanctuary while the rest of the United States was observing the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, narrowly avoiding deportation at least twice with a Certificate of Hawaiian Birth that he obtained and later renounced. During self-exile to the United Kingdom and Japan, he raised funding for his seven attempts at revolution before the Wuchang Uprising finally gained traction in 1911. When Emperor Puyi finally abdicated the throne, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen returned to China and was named the first provisionary president of the Republic of China.

Talk about persistence! This was a man with a vision for a better China and he stopped at nothing to help achieve it. Fundraising, deportation, exile, secret societies, failed revolts, doubts, anti-Sun sentiment, until finally, successful revolution... Dr. Sun was relentless. Today, we honor this man who has a deep history with our state and community and whose descendants are members of Oo Syak Gee Lu! Small world, isn't it?