Sun Dacheng

Sun Dacheng, born in 1813 and died in 1888, was a native of Cuixiang Village in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province during the Qing Dynasty in China. In his early years, he apprenticed at a shoe shop in Macau for three years. Later, he worked as a shoemaker at a shoe shop operated by a Portuguese individual on Banzhang Tang Street, earning a monthly wage of four silver dollars. At the age of 32, he returned to his hometown Cuixiang and married Yang, the daughter of Yang Shenghui from a neighboring village (1828–1910). He then engaged in agricultural labor for the rest of his life.

Sun Dacheng became a tenant farmer, without land of his own. He rented two and a half acres of ancestral land in Zuchang, paying an annual rent of fifteen shikes of rice, exchanged for six taels and six qian of silver, and also rented four acres of land controlled by his sister-in-law Cheng (wife of Sun Xuecheng) for rice and miscellaneous grains cultivation. Additionally, he raised a family farm with a draft ox, pigs, chickens, and ducks. His family lived in a simple small brick house, with sweet potatoes as the main food. Sun Dacheng also worked as a night watchman, earning a small wage annually to support his family; he also assisted with village ceremonies such as weddings and funerals.

On March 19, 1864, Sun Dacheng, along with his brothers Sun Xuecheng and Sun Guancheng, signed a contract to reclaim and operate the ancestral mountain land of the Sun family,委托 management of fruit trees, but due to the deaths of Sun Xuecheng and Sun Guancheng and the loss of funds, the plan was not realized. He planted some lychee and mountain oranges on the mountain land, but yields were minimal, and he never sold any produce.

Between 1847 and 1850, Sun Dacheng managed public land (Gongchang), with ledgers recording his income and expenses for several acres of farmland. From 1849 to 1854, the income from Gongchang was about forty to fifty taels of silver. His family was poor; in 1856, he contributed one yuan to repair the village shrine, which was the lowest amount among villagers. He also suffered bullying and insults from landlords in neighboring villages, including land occupation and verbal abuse.

His eldest son, Sun Mei, once worked as a long-term laborer for landlord Cheng Minggui in Nanmeng Market, and later followed him to Honolulu, gradually becoming a capitalist. He established a rice mill, a general store, and a livestock farm. The improving economic situation of the Sun family provided financial support for Sun Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen)’s education in Honolulu, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou. In 1885, Sun Yat-sen graduated from Chuk Yuen College in Hong Kong; after 182 years (likely a typo, intending 1885), he studied at Nanhua Medical School attached to Bo Ji Hospital in Guangzhou, then transferred to the Western Medical College in Hong Kong for medical education. After his father’s death in 1888, Sun Yat-sen reunited with his brother Sun Mei, discussed family affairs, and strengthened their brotherly bond.

Sun Dacheng's tomb is located on the eastern slope of Shouping Mountain in Cuixiang Village, Nanlang Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. It was built in the 14th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (1888), made of granite, and renovated in the 15th year of the Republic of China (1926). The tomb covers about 66 square meters, with protective features such as a tombstone and guardian lions. It is now a protected cultural heritage site in Guangdong Province.