Actions of the Revolutionary Party: Setting the Governor's House on Fire

This play is based on the Huang Huagan Uprising, a famous historical event in modern China.

On November 13, 1910, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, founder of the Republic of China (1911-1949), meets in the Philippines with key cadres of the revolutionary party. During their meeting, a detailed plot for an uprising is discussed, and many party members are dispatched to prepare for revolutionary activity in the city of Guangzhou, capital of Canton (Guangdong) Province. Sun Yat-Sen himself collects donations from overseas Chinese communities, and is responsible for transporting firearms to China.

On January 18, 1911, Huang Xing and Zhao Sheng, two key members of the party, establish a base in Hong Kong and set up thirty-eight secret liaison offices in Guangzhou. Meanwhile, Huang Xing organizes a 'dare-to-die' commando force of 800 people. Their plan dictates that, after Guangzhou falls, the revolutionary army will join with the forces of other provinces and mount an expedition northwards across the Yangtze River to Beijing, where they will overthrow the corrupt Qing government — China's last Manchu dynasty. Members of the revolutionary party around the world express a willingness to fight to the death in this great cause.

Revolutionary leaders decide to launch the attack on April 13, 1911, with Zhao Sheng as Commander-in-Chief and Huang Xing as Deputy Commander. On April 8, however, an attempt to assassinate the Qing general of Guangzhou is thwarted by authorities, and the bomb smuggled from Hong Kong to Guangzhou is also discovered. Qing authorities establish a curfew, and the uprising is postponed to April 27. Huang Xing still manages to sneak into Guangzhou, however, setting up his headquarters right next to the governor's house. The Qing governor and the navy are in combat position, and the situation has become critical.

Some party members propose postponing the uprising again, but Huang Xing rejects the idea, instead ordering an attack on the governor with their joint forces. On April 27, 1911 at 4:00 p.m., Huang Xing launches his attack with 120 members of the dare-to-die commando force, who attack the governor's house with fierce courage. Governor Zhang Mingqi ultimately runs away, and his house is burned to the ground by members of the revolutionary party. On their way out, Huang Xing and his comrades encounter Qing reinforcements. There is a pitched battle, and the party's forces suffer heavy casualties. Huang Xing finally breaks through the siege, but almost everyone in the commando force is killed. The remains of the seventy-two casualties of the revolutionary party are buried in the eastern Guangzhou suburb of Huang Huagang, which later gives its name to the uprising.

The Huang Huagang Uprising would inspire the Chinese people and, six months later, the corrupt Qing Dynasty was overthrown. The Republic of China was established on October 10, 1911.