On January 1, 1912, the government of the Republic of China was formally established in Nanjing. China’s last emperor abdicated, thereby ending 2,000 years of feudal monarchy. Sun Yat-sen was elected provisional president of the new republic.

To mark the centennial of the founding of the Republic of China, and to remember its founding father, Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), the Library of Congress will host a display in the Asian Reading Room.

From March 10-17, “Sun Yat-sen: His Life and Legacy” will be on display from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday, in Room 150 of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 101 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

The display, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored jointly by the Asian Division’s China Team and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington, D.C.

The display will trace the life and career of physician-turned-revolutionary Sun Yat-sen and the evolution of the Republic of China. His legacy, following his death in 1925, will also be chronicled in the display.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. It seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, and exhibitions. Many of its rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

The Library of Congress is a central repository for all types of Asian publications that are not broadly available at other locations in the U.S. Initiated in 1869 with a gift of 10 works in 934 volumes offered to the U.S. by the Emperor of China, the Library’s Asian collection of more than 3 million items is the largest and most comprehensive outside of Asia.For more information about the division and its holdings, go to www.loc.gov/rr/asian/.