Hutong have been around for some seven centuries; dating back to the Yuan dynasty when Kublai Khan established his capital at Dadu; on the site of present-day Beijing. In fact; the word hutong is believed to derive from the Mongolian word hong tong; which means water well.

Sun Yat-sen (12 November 1866 - 12 March 1925) was a Chinese revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China; Sun is frequently referred to as the Founding Father of Republican China.

Sun played an instrumental role in inspiring the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty; the last imperial dynasty of China. He was the first provisional president when the Republic of China (ROC) was founded in 1912 and later co-founded the Chinese National People's Party or Kuomintang (KMT) where he served as its first leader.

Sun was a uniting figure in post-Imperial China; and remains unique among 20th-century Chinese politicians for being widely revered amongst the people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Pictures From Asia David Henley