Chen Cuifen (; 1873–1962) was a longtime romantic partner of

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...

, the founder and first president of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. She was regarded as a "forgotten revolutionary" and "the first revolution partner" of Sun Yat-sen. Before marrying

Soong Ching-ling Soong Ch'ing-ling (27 January 1893 – 29 May 1981), Christian name Rosamonde or Rosamond, was a Chinese political figure. She was the wife of Sun Yat-sen, therefore known by Madame Sun Yat-sen and the "''Father of the Nation, Mother of Mode ...

, Sun Yat-sen had a 20 year-relationship with Chen Cuifen. In the "Sun Family Genealogy", Chen was officially recorded as "Sun Yat-sen's

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

Biography

Chen was born in

Tuen Mun Tuen Mun () or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the mo ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

in 1873, the fourth child of a family originally from

Xiamen Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...

. Chen and Sun Yat-Sen met in 1891 in Hong Kong while Sun was studying medicine at the

Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (branded as HKUMed) is the medical school of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), a public research university. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, ...

. Sun told Chen that he would become the next

Hong Xiuquan Hong Xiuquan (1 January 1814 – 1 June 1864), born Hong Huoxiu and with the courtesy name Renkun, was a Chinese revolutionary and religious leader who led the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing dynasty. He established the Taiping Heavenly K ...

and overthrow the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, which deeply impressed her. Chen and Sun became romantic partners, and Chen became involved in Sun's revolutionary work. Chen moved with Sun first to

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

, then to Canton. After the failure of the

First Guangzhou Uprising The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

, Chen followed Sun to Japan. In Japan, Chen was involved in arranging arms for the 1900 uprising in Huizhou. During this period, she also became well known to many Chinese revolutionaries, including Chiang Kai-Shek for her dedication to the revolution and her domestic care for Sun and others amid a tough period for the revolutionaries. She lived in

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

from 1910 until 1912. In Southeast Asia, Chen was known as Sun's wife, despite Sun still being married to

Lu Muzhen Lu Muzhen (30 July 18677 September 1952) was the first wife of Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen. A traditional Chinese housewife, she had two daughters, Wan and Yan, and one son, Sun Fo, Fo, with her husband. Sun divorced with her after 30 year ...

. After the success of the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

, Chen moved back to China, but found that Sun Yat-sen no longer had affection for her. For a time Chen lived with the family of Sun Mei, Sun Yat-sen's older brother, in Macau. After the establishment of the

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

, she settled in Malaya alone where she adopted a daughter, Sun Rong, and engaged in business ventures, including establishing a rubber plantation. Sun Rong would later marry into the Sun family, marrying one of the descendants of Sun Mei. This marriage was strongly opposed by Sun family elders, such as

, as Chen had given her daughter the surname Sun, which would mean marrying another member of the Sun clan would be akin to incest. However, since the couple was not biologically related, Sun Rong was allowed to renounce the name Sun and then marry into the Sun family. Chen Cuifen spent her final years in Hong Kong, passing away in 1962. Chen Cuifen was ultimately interred in the Sun family tomb in

Cuiheng Cuiheng () is a village of the town of Nanlang, Zhongshan, Guangdong province. Cuiheng is best known as the birthplace of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the " Father of the Nation" of the Republic of China. Cuiheng is southeast of downtown Zhongshan, and n ...

Film portrayals

In the film '' Road To Dawn'' (2007), which features the story of

in Penang, the character of Chen Cuifen is played by Chinese actres
Wu Yue

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Cuifen 1873 births 1960 deaths 20th-century Hong Kong businesswomen Chinese revolutionaries 20th-century Chinese businesspeople 20th-century Chinese businesswomen Family of Sun Yat-sen 20th-century Hong Kong businesspeople