Subject date, needless to say, is Christmas Day, one of the most important days in Christianity world.  It represents a holy day of peace, tranquility, religiousness, celebration and family reunion.  But what does it really matter to Chinese people?

I still remember in early days the date of December 25 is noted in calendars that three significant historical events have taken place on the day, which is worth remembrance.  They are the Constitution Day, the National Restoration Day, and Yun-nan Uprising Memorial Day.  They are significant, indeed. 

The Constitution was enacted by the National Assembly in 1947, the tumultuous time of China civil war.  The Communists didn’t take part in the enactment, but the Nationalist government brought the Constitution to Taiwan.  Based on it, Republic of China has successfully established herself a democratic country, and it has become the only de jure link with the Mainland.  She has been technically knocked out but still in the game unless she dares to enact a new constitution. 

What is the National Restoration Day for?  On December 25, 1936, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek was released from the detention out of the famous Xian Mutiny Incident, and flew back to Nanjing, then the capital of Republic of China.  Henceforth he became the sole strongman of China, leading the whole country to resist Japanese invasion half a year later, and withstood defeats, humiliations for eight years and won the war at length.

Yun-nan Uprising Memorial Day testified to the courage and intelligence of General Cai E who had contrived to escape from the nearly house arrest imposed upon him by usurped Emperor Yuan Shih-kai , and fled to Yun-nan province, from where, on December 25, 1915, he set off a punitive expedition against Yuan and called for other provinces joining the move.  Yuan was soon forced to abdicate and restore the Republic, and died from anger and shame ere long.  The whole story was also tinted with legends and romances.  During his captivity in Beijing, Cai was ostensibly doing nothing but fooling around with a young, artistic courtesan小鳳仙, who, it was said, stealthily assisted him carrying out his escape plan.   Woefully, Cai died young at 34 only.  In the very first national funeral the Republic of China had ever bestowed upon, 小鳳仙 paid tribute to General Cai E with a famous couplet: 九萬里南天鵬翼，直上扶搖，憐他憂患餘生，萍水相逢成一夢；十八載北地胭脂，自悲淪落，贏得英雄知己，桃花顏色亦千秋.  Doubtless, some ghostwriter contributed this boastfully sounding couplet for her; nevertheless, the couplet had added imagination to the story itself, as well as to the intimacies between them.  I don’t mind those romantic affairs, but do admire Cai’s legendary bravery.  He is my hero.

December 25^, 2012