Observed by Republic of China | Date October 10 | |
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Also called Double Tenth Day, Double Ten Day Type Historical, cultural, nationalist Celebrations festivities, including fireworks and concerts Next time 10 October 2017 (2017-10-10) | ||
The National Day of the Republic of China, also referred to as Double Ten Day or Double Tenth Day, is the national day of the Republic of China (ROC). It commemorates the start of the Wuchang Uprising of October 10, 1911 (10-10 or double ten), which led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in China and establishment of the ROC on January 1, 1912.
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During the course of the Chinese Civil War, the government of the Republic of China lost control of mainland China, fleeing to Taiwan Island in December 1949. The National Day is now mainly celebrated in ROC-controlled Taiwan, but is also celebrated by some overseas Chinese.
Celebration in Taiwan
During the establishment of the ROC, Taiwan was under Japanese rule, which began in 1895. In 1945, after surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II, Taiwan was placed under the control of the ROC.
In Taiwan, the official celebration begins with the raising of the flag of the Republic of China in front of the Presidential Building, along with a public singing of the National Anthem of the Republic of China. It is then followed by celebrations in front of the Presidential Building; from time to time, a military parade may occur. Festivities also include many aspects of traditional Chinese and/or Taiwanese culture, such as the lion dance and drum teams, and cultural features coming from Taiwanese aborigines are integrated into the display in recent years. Later in the day, the President of the Republic of China would address the country and fireworks displays are held throughout the major cities of the island. In 2009, all government sponsored festivities for the Double Ten Day were cancelled, and the money intended for the festivals (NT$ 70 million) were reallocated for reconstruction of the damage done by Typhoon Morakot.
National Day Military Parade
In the past, the Republic of China Armed Forces has traditionally put on a military parade. During this parade, troops and equipment are marched past a reviewing platform in front of the Presidential Building. Typically, foreign ambassadors, military officers, and other representatives and dignitaries are invited to view the parade.
The parade has been held intermittently during the period of the Republic of China on Taiwan. The military parade on October 10, 1949 was the first public military parade held in Taiwan with Chen Cheng serving as the Grand Review Officer. The 1964 National Day parade was struck by tragedy when a low flying airforce F-104 Starfighter fighter aircraft struck a Broadcasting Corporation of China tower, causing the plane's fuel tank to fall and kill three people including a woman and her baby in front of the Central Weather Bureau building in downtown Taipei. The other two remaining F-104 aircraft were ordered to look for the crashed aircraft and accidentally collided and crashed in Tucheng City, Taipei County (now New Taipei City) killing both pilots. The parade was not held again until 1971 (the 60th anniversary), while the mobile column and flypast segments returned in 1975. When Chen Shui-bian became President, the parade was not held until 2007 and then it was entitled a "Celebration Drill" and not a traditional military parade. Since Ma Ying-jeou became president, one parade has been held on the centenary celebrations of the Double Tenth Day.
The tradition of shouting Long Live the Republic of China!( "Zhonghua Mingguo Wansui!" (中华民国万岁))at the end of the addresses of the President of the Republic of China was not held for the first time in 2016, also the very year that fire and police services joined the parade for the first time in history breaking a tradition of a purely military parade to include personnel from civil uniformed services.
List of Republic of China National Day Parades
Other countries
Overseas Chinese played a key role in the birth of the ROC since the nation’s founding father Sun Yat-sen, a medical doctor by training, received financial support mainly from the overseas Chinese communities abroad to overthrow the imperial Qing dynasty and establish the second republic in Asia in 1912. Outside of Taiwan, the National Day is also celebrated by many Overseas Chinese communities. Sizable National Day parades occur yearly in the Chinatowns of San Francisco and Chicago.
Hong Kong
The ROC National Day was a public holiday in Hong Kong until the government of the United Kingdom cut its diplomatic ties with the ROC Government, and it was cancelled. After the civil war in mainland China, the National Day was celebrated in regions inhabited by Chinese patriots who remained loyal to the Republic, such as Tiu Keng Leng. Before the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the PRC in 1997, many ROC supporters there would display patriotic and colorful flags (mainly the national flag of ROC) to celebrate the National Day. Taiwan agencies such as the Kwang Hwa Information and Cultural Center in Hong Kong have annually held a public ceremony to celebrate the National Day of ROC with members of pro-ROC private groups. The day continues to be celebrated in Hong Kong after the transfer of sovereignty to the mainland, but the national flags publicly shown have been removed by Police of Hong Kong ever since July 1997. Flag-raising ceremony at Hung Lau, Tuen Mun, Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary base, is the most noticeable event.
Mainland China
As the Communist Party of China seized control of mainland China in 1949, October 10 is now celebrated in the People's Republic of China as the anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution and the Wuchang Uprising.