The first place in the mainland visit paid by Lien Chan and his retinue was to pay homage to the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. That day was a spring day with soft breeze and bright sunshine. As they climbed up a flight of 392-steps stone stairs, what greeted them were verdant pines and cypresses and Chinese parasol trees dancing in the breeze. Lien's elegiac address was moving and he made deep bows. At that moment, the history thread ends floating in the air were reconnected.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen is an eternal banner and is held in deep respect by the people across the Taiwan Straits and Chinese worldwide. On the mainland, the activities held annually in commemoration of Dr. Sun and the Revolution of 1911 have never been interrupted; studies on Dr. Sun have become a favored, ever-lasting branch of learning; the huge portrait of Dr. Sun Yat-sen stands upright during major festivals on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. In Taipei, Dr. Sun's bronze statue in the "Memorial Hall of the Father of the Nation" is to this date still guarded by military policemen.

In recent years, however, due to the countercurrent, a handful of "Taiwan independence" elements have clamored for revising history textbooks, going so far as to call Dr. Sun a "foreigner". This move, running counter to moral principles, has aroused people's great wrath. When Lee Teng-hui was in power, he deviated from the thoughts of Sun-Yat-sen and thus inflicted grave setbacks on the Kuomintang Party. After Lee Teng-hui was expelled from the party, the Kuomintang Party found back the principal axis of the thoughts, from Chiang Pin-kung's recent reminiscence tour to Lien Chan's visit to the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, one can feel their sincerity in passing on the torch of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen spirit in the manner as they drink water they would not forget the water's source.

In the treasure-house of Sun Yat-sen's rich thoughts, what appears to be most valuable today is the will to pursue reunification. Old China was carved up by foreign powers and separatist warlord regimes were set up there. Sun Yat-sen strained his heart and mind for the unification of the country. After the Wuchang Uprising on August 1, 1927, Sun categorically refuted foreign powers' call for a "separate rule in the south and the north", saying, "No, that won't do, the Chinese people are sentimentally identical." For the country's peaceful unification, he went northward twice regardless of his personal safety. Sun's famous remark "the present non-unification of China is only a temporary phenomenon", when he was on his deathbed he cried out "Peace! Struggle! Salvage China!" This was like "the cuckoo screams in mourning for its mate", each of his cries touched people's hearts. As we review Sun Yat-sen's thoughts today, we once again appreciate the magnificent realm of his thoughts.

Another immortal political heritage of Sun Yet-sen is his advocacy for cooperation between political parties. He set an antecedent in bringing about the first cooperation between the KMT and the CPC, this gave rise to the subsequent second KMT-CPC cooperation in united resistance to Japanese aggression. "Brothers quarrelling at home join forces against attacks from without". Historical facts have proved that cooperation between political parties is a good way for ironing out internal political differences of a country, for jointly facing the world and advancing toward the future. Now Lien Chan leads a delegation on his mainland visit, as old friends meet after long separation, they exchange smiles to each other. This is an inter-party exchange conducted by the KMT and the CPC after half a century for propelling and promoting cross-Strait relations, this ice-breaking move alone will go down in history.

The important meaning of dialogs between political parties is to seek common ground and reserve differences. There is no need for reticence that there are a variety of opinions between the two sides of the Straits and between political parties on the Island. Sometimes it is unavoidable that at the beginning of conciliation dialogs, "each may give its accounts in its own way", and it is only normal even if there are divergent opinions.

However, the important thing is to set a precedent, seek common ground amidst differences and search for a connecting point. It is believed that the atmosphere of relaxation created by Lien's mainland visit will produce positive influence on the development trend of cross-Strait relations. If the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) could follow well-intentioned advice, it would likewise see a world of broad prospects ahead. The KMT and the CPC could forget past grievances for peace across the Straits, in the face of the bright prospect of cooperation and a win-win situation between the two sides of the Straits, we hope that the DPP would not lose the historical orientation for the development of cross-Strait relations and would not be coerced by Lee Teng-hui and other separatist forces. A drop of water would not be dried up only when it is converged into the vast sea, please think more of Sun Yet-sen's remark of making "the whole world one community"!

In the past foreign powers reduced China to fragments, and it is imaginable how difficult it was to achieve unification, but Sun Yat-sen devoted his whole life to the dauntless and persistent pursuit of unification. His persevering and punctilious spirit to this date is still agitating the loyal hearts of the Chinese. Today, the road to peaceful reunification is likewise full of difficulties and twists and turns. As we review Dr. Sun's behests, we are full of confidence in following the footsteps of the revolutionary forerunner. As long as compatriots on both sides of the Straits unite in concerted efforts, expand consensus, rebuild mutual trust, and melt solid ice, we don't believe that the East Wind would not be called back!

Carried on the front page of People's Daily (Overseas Edition) on April 28, this article is translated by People's Daily Online