Farewell letter to Soviet Russia

Farewell letter to Soviet Russia (1925)
by Sun Yat-sen
1432806Farewell letter to Soviet Russia1925Sun Yat-sen

To the Central Executive Committee of
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:

My dear comrades,

As I lie here, with a malady that is beyond men's skill, my thoughts turn to you and to the future of my party and my country.

You are the head of a union of free republics which is the real heritage that the immortal Lenin has left to the world of the oppressed peoples. Through this heritage, the victims of imperialism are destined to secure their freedom and deliverance from an international system whose foundations lie in ancient slaveries and wars and injustices.

I am leaving behind me a party which I had hoped would be associated with you in the historic work of completely liberating China and other exploited countries from this imperialist system. Fate decrees that I must leave the task unfinished and pass it on to those who, by remaining true to the principles and teachings of the Party, will constitute my real followers.

I have therefore enjoined the Kuomintang to carry on the work of the national revolutionary movement in order that China may be freed from the semi-colonial status which imperialism imposed upon her. To this end I have charged the party to keep in constant touch with you; and I look with confidence to the continuance of the support that your government has heretofore extended to my party.

In bidding farewell to you, dear comrades, I wish to express the fervent hope that the day may soon dawn when the U. S. S. R. will greet, as a friend and ally, a strong and independent China and that the two allies may together advance to victory in the great struggle for the liberation of the oppressed peoples of the world.

With fraternal greetings.

Sun Yat-sen

Signed on March 11th, 1925, in the presence of:

Tse Ven Soong 宋子文

Wang Ching Wei 汪精衛

何香凝

Sun Fo 孫科

Tai En Sai 戴恩賽

Tsou Lo 鄒魯

Hsiang Hsi Kung 孔庸之

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in its home country on the URAA date (January 1, 1996 for most countries).


The longest-living author of this work died in 1925, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 98 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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