Mainland offers to aid Kuomintang in celebrating Sun Yat-sen's anniversary in Nanjing

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland
would assist Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) if they are to celebrate the 80th
anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's funeral at his mausoleum in Nanjing on June 1,
said the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

Li Weiyi, spokesman for the office,
said Wednesday, "Dr. Sun Yat-sen is a great vanguard of the democratic
revolution and a great patriot."

Dr. Sun Yat-sen founded the Kuomintang in 1919. He
died in 1925 at the age of 59. He was dubbed "father" of the nation and held the
first presidency of the Republic of China earlier last century.

On June 1, 1929, his coffin was transferred to a
mausoleum in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, which was built
for him and named after him.