On February 12, 1912, the Qing emperor abdicated and the Republic was united. On the 15th day of the same month, the inauguration ceremony of the Republic was held in Nanjing. Dr. Sun Yat-sen led civil and military officials to pay homage at theMing Xiaoling Mausoleum and declared the change to the ancestors. (Painting by Cheng Cheng-qing; a collection of the Memorial Hall.)