作者：李聪玲
编辑：张致君 责任编辑：罗志飞 校对：熊辩 翻译：彭小梅
1911年10月10日，武昌城头的第一声枪响，击碎了两千年的封建帝制，也点燃了中华民族追求民主自由的火种。辛亥革命并非完美，但它是中国历史上第一次以人民的名义推翻专制的革命，是第一次以“共和”为目标建立国家的政治实验。
1912年，中华民国宣告成立，孙中山先生提出“天下为公”、“主权在民”的理念，从此，“国家属于国民”成为中国现代政治的起点。中华民国不仅是一个政权的名称，更是一种政治信念的象征——它代表了人民可以选择自己的政府，宪法高于个人权力，言论自由不被恐惧压制的国家构想。这正是今日台湾得以成为亚洲最自由、最开放社会的根基。
然而，这段历史在中国大陆被彻底篡改。中共篡权建政后，不仅摧毁了民国的制度与记忆，更用系统性的宣传机器将“中华民国”从教科书、报纸、银幕乃至集体记忆中抹去。中共以“新中国”的名义，掩盖了自己通过暴力、内战与苏联支持建立政权的事实，将“中华民国”污蔑为“反动政权”，将“台湾”诬指为“叛离祖国的一部分”。这种谎言延续至今。中共的历史叙事中，辛亥革命被“截断”，孙中山被“篡改”，民国被“抹黑”，而1949年之后的中国，被包装成“新生”的、唯一合法的中国。但事实上，中共并非中华民国的继承者，而是它的篡夺者。中华民国的宪政体制从未中断，它在台湾延续、改革、发展，成为真正代表“自由中国”的国家。
任何政权的合法性，来自人民的自由选择与公开授权。中共从未通过全民选举获得统治地位，它依靠的是枪杆子、恐惧和暴力。1949年后，它在“解放”的口号下镇压异议、摧毁民间社会，制造了大跃进饿死数千万人的惨剧、“文革”中对人性的肆虐、“六·四”枪声下对人民的屠杀，以及当今对维吾尔、西藏、香港与异议公民的迫害。这样的政权，没有任何道义上的正当性，更没有政治上的合法性。中共常以“主权”和“统一”作为统治的最后遮羞布，但问题是：一个没有民意授权的党，有什么资格代表中国？一个篡改历史、剥夺公民自由的政权，有什么资格谈“国家尊严”？真正的中国尊严，不在于统一版图，而在于是否能保障人民的自由与尊严。
而台湾的存在，是对中共谎言最有力的反驳。在那里，中华民国的宪政精神得以延续与升华。从蒋经国开放党禁、报禁，到李登辉推动民主化，再到陈水扁、马英九、蔡英文的政党轮替，台湾证明了一个事实：中国人完全有能力在民主制度下实现良治。台湾有独立的军队、政府、司法体系、货币与护照，实行自由选举，政权和平交接，这些都清楚显示——中华民国是一个主权独立的国家。中共所谓“武统台湾”的威胁，不仅是对台湾自由的挑衅，更是对辛亥革命精神的彻底背叛。那些曾高喊“驱除鞑虏，恢复中华”的革命先烈，绝不会容忍一个新的独裁政党再度奴役中国人民。
七十多年来，中共刻意混淆“党”与“国”，把爱国主义绑架为对党的忠诚，把质疑政权等同“叛国”。但我们必须清楚地说：中共不等于中国，爱国不等于爱共产党。中国属于十四亿人民，而不是中共少数特权者的私产。真正的爱国，是希望祖国摆脱谎言与恐惧，是让中国人拥有思想与言论的自由，是让孩子们读到真实的历史，不再被洗脑教育所蒙蔽。中共把“统一”当作掩盖腐败的口号，把“民族主义”当作转移国内矛盾的工具。但在信息自由流通的今天，越来越多的中国人正在觉醒：他们看见台湾的新闻自由，看见香港的悲剧，看见乌克兰人抵抗暴政的勇气，也开始质疑自己长期生活的国度。
我们呼吁中国大陆人民：觉醒吧！不要再被虚假的“民族大义”绑架，也不要再被“西方阴谋论”吓倒。要问自己：为什么在中国，批评政府要坐牢？说真话要匿名？为什么我们的国家强大了，人民却不自由？为什么一党统治要靠防火墙与审查维持？
自由不是外国的特权，它是人类的普遍权利。民主不是混乱，它是制度化的监督与和平更替。中华民国在台湾的存在，正是证明了这条道路的可行。我们相信，总有一天，中华民国的国旗不仅在台北升起，也将在大陆的天空再度飘扬。那一天的到来，取决于每一个愿意追求真相、拒绝谎言的中国人。
“双十”不仅是一个纪念日，更是一面旗帜。它象征着推翻暴政、追求共和的勇气，象征着自由中国仍在延续。今天，我们庆祝中华民国国庆日，不只是庆祝一个国家的生日，更是在捍卫一种信念——那就是：自由与真理，终将战胜谎言与恐惧。
中共可以禁言、可以封网、可以制造恐惧，但它无法消灭人民对自由的渴望。因为那火种，早在1911年10月10日，就已点燃。而今天，我们要让那火光，再次照亮中国的夜空。
“Double Tenth” Spirit and Free China — Celebrating the National Day of the Republic of China
Author: Congling Li
Editor: Zhijun Zhang Executive Editor: Zhifei Luo Proofread: Bian Xiong Translator: Xiaomei Peng
On October 10, 1911, the first gunfire over Wuchang shattered two thousand years of imperial despotism and ignited the flame of the Chinese nation’s pursuit of democracy and freedom. The Xinhai Revolution was far from perfect, but it marked the first time in Chinese history that a regime of tyranny was overthrown in the name of the people. It was the first political experiment aimed at building a republic.
In 1912, the Republic of China was founded. Dr. Sun Yat-sen put forward the ideals of “the world belongs to all” and “sovereignty resides in the people.” From then on, the concept that “the nation belongs to its citizens” became the starting point of modern Chinese politics. The Republic of China was not merely the name of a state; it was a symbol of political conviction — that people could choose their own government, that the constitution stands above personal power, and that freedom of speech should never be suppressed by fear. This ideal became the foundation of today’s Taiwan — the freest and most open society in Asia.
Yet this chapter of history has been completely erased in mainland China. After seizing power, the Chinese Communist Party not only destroyed the institutions and memory of the Republic of China but also used a systematic propaganda machine to obliterate “the Republic of China” from textbooks, newspapers, screens, and even collective memory. Under the banner of the so-called “New China,” the CCP concealed its rise through violence, civil war, and Soviet backing, vilifying the Republic of China as a “reactionary regime” and branding Taiwan as a “separatist province.” These lies persist to this day. In the CCP’s historical narrative, the Xinhai Revolution is cut off, Sun Yat-sen’s legacy is distorted, and the Republic of China is blackened, while post-1949 China is repackaged as a “reborn” and “sole legitimate” nation. In truth, the CCP is not the heir of the Republic of China but its usurper. The constitutional system of the Republic of China has never been interrupted; it has survived, reformed, and flourished in Taiwan — the genuine embodiment of a Free China.
The legitimacy of any government arises from the free choice and public consent of its people. The CCP has never obtained power through democratic elections. Its rule is maintained through the gun, fear, and violence. Since 1949, under the banner of “liberation,” it has crushed dissent and civil society, causing unspeakable disasters: tens of millions starved to death in the Great Leap Forward; the Cultural Revolution unleashed a storm of brutality against humanity; the gunfire of June Fourth slaughtered unarmed citizens; and even today, persecution continues against Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hongkongers, and dissidents. Such a regime has no moral legitimacy, nor any political one.The CCP often invokes “sovereignty” and “unity” as its final fig leaf. But one must ask: what right does a party without popular mandate have to represent China? What claim to “national dignity” can a regime make when it censors truth and robs its citizens of freedom? The true dignity of China lies not in territorial unification but in whether its people live with freedom and dignity.
Taiwan’s existence stands as the most powerful refutation of the CCP’s lies. There, the constitutional spirit of the Republic of China lives on and has evolved. From Chiang Ching-kuo’s lifting of martial law and ending of press restrictions, to Lee Teng-hui’s democratization, to the peaceful alternation of power under Chen Shui-bian, Ma Ying-jeou, and Tsai Ing-wen — Taiwan proves one simple truth: the Chinese people are fully capable of good governance under democracy. Taiwan has its own military, government, judiciary, currency, and passport; it holds free elections and peaceful transfers of power — all evidence that the Republic of China is a sovereign, independent state. The CCP’s threat to “unify Taiwan by force” is not only an assault on Taiwan’s freedom but a total betrayal of the spirit of the 1911 Revolution. The revolutionaries who once cried “Expel the Manchus, Restore China” would never tolerate a new despot enslaving the Chinese people anew.
For over seventy years, the CCP has deliberately conflated “the Party” with “the Nation,” equating patriotism with loyalty to the Party, and branding dissent as “treason.” But we must speak plainly: the CCP is not China, and loving one’s country does not mean loving the Communist Party. China belongs to its 1.4 billion people, not to a handful of privileged elites. True patriotism means freeing the homeland from lies and fear, enabling Chinese citizens to think and speak freely, and allowing children to learn real history instead of brainwashed propaganda. The CCP has used “national unity” to cover its corruption and “nationalism” to distract from domestic crises. Yet in an age of open information, more and more Chinese are awakening: they see Taiwan’s free press, Hong Kong’s tragedy, and the courage of Ukrainians resisting tyranny — and they begin to question the country they live in.
We call upon the people of mainland China: Awaken! Do not be deceived by false “national righteousness,” nor cowed by the specter of “Western conspiracy.” Ask yourselves: why must truth-tellers hide their names? Why does speaking one’s mind mean risking prison? Why, if our nation is so “strong,” are our people still unfree? Why must a ruling party rely on firewalls and censorship to sustain itself?
Freedom is not the privilege of the West — it is the universal right of humankind. Democracy is not chaos — it is institutionalized accountability and peaceful transition of power. The very existence of the Republic of China in Taiwan proves this path is possible. One day, we believe, the flag of the Republic of China will rise not only over Taipei but once again over the skies of the mainland. That day will come when every Chinese who yearns for truth and rejects lies chooses courage over silence.
The “Double Tenth” is more than a commemoration — it is a banner. It symbolizes the courage to overthrow tyranny and the perseverance to pursue republican ideals. It reminds us that Free China still lives on. Today, as we celebrate the National Day of the Republic of China, we do more than mark a nation’s birthday — we reaffirm a conviction: that freedom and truth will ultimately triumph over lies and fear.
The CCP can silence voices, block the Internet, and spread terror — but it cannot extinguish the people’s longing for liberty. For that flame was kindled long ago, on October 10, 1911. And today, it is our mission to let that fire once again illuminate China’s night sky.
