SUN, Yat-Sen - REPUBLICAN CHINA.
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Zongli feng'an shilu ("A True Account of Laying the President to Rest"). First and only edition and printing of the official commemorative publication for Sun Yat-Sen's state burial, distributed as a gift by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over one hundred photographic illustrations record the elaborate multi-day ceremony and the appearance of Sun's mausoleum; these are accompanied by several folding architectural plans. Loosely inserted is the ministry's printed presentation card.Following Sun's death on 12 March 1925, the Kuomintang formed a 12-man committee tasked with overseeing the construction of a massive mausoleum on Mount Zijin in Nanjing. The stakes were high: amidst the breakdown of the Kuomintang's relations with the Chinese Communist Party and Chiang Kai-Shek's tightening grip on the party-state, exerting control over Sun's legacy and image was paramount. The design of the site was opened to public tender, the committee requiring the winning design to combine traditional Chinese styles with modern concepts of adaptive architecture. The winning architect, Lu Yanzhi (1894-1929), died before construction finished, and his vision was seen through to completion by his colleague Poy Gum Lee (1900-1968). Lu and Poy's American training is reflected in such design elements as the layout of the site (which draws on the Mall in Washington and the Liberty Bell) and the design of a statue of Sun seated in Lincoln-esque fashion.In spring 1929, the internment ceremony
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