Scenes 11 to 20

Miyazaki walks through the shrine compound in the rain, cries and sings a sad song – mourning for the dead revolutionaries. Meanwhile at the sea coast, Sun Yat-sen, Huang Xing 黃興, Song Jiaoren 宋教仁, Zhu Zhixin 朱執信 and Chen Qimei 陳其美 (all famous revolutionaries) walk out from the sea toward the coast and talk. They hold hands and wear Japanese swim-suits. (The screenplay says about the crying Miyazaki: "The tough fellow who never cried before" (从不弹泪的铁汉) cries because of lamenting Zheng Shiliang's death and his felt responsibility for the defeat at Huizhou). (-> see scene 12)

Sun delivers a speech in a room to an audience of about 100 people, including many prominent revolutionaries and some Japanese supporters. He propagates a republic as the only way to save China. The "Revolutionary Alliance" (同盟会) is founded and its aims are clarified. Sun stresses that besides overthrowing the Manchus, equal distribution of land is important as well. When questions are raised about this issue, he explains that the West – as he claims to have witnessed in London – has poverty and labour protests everywhere. Therefore the Chinese should do better! When the foundation charter gets signed, Miyazaki cries because he thinks China to be a good place to do something that "shakes heaven and moves the earth". He really hates to be no Chinese. Sun generously declares him a friend of the Chinese revolution and lets him sign the charter, too. After this they celebrate the foundation and sing the "Marseillaise" (therewith laying claim to the heritage of the French revolution). Their singing stops abruptly, when the floor of the house (it is the house of Uchida Ryôhei 内田良平, another friend of Sun's) is damaged by their trampling. Sun interprets this as an omen for the fall of the Qing dynasty; everybody is happy and applauds.
(Now, at the latest, the image of Miyazaki as a "never crying tough fellow" is belied. In this scene he seems more like a little boy at kindergarten who cries because the others would not let him play with them, and he is also treated in such a way by the others. This scene of Sino-Japanese friendship is unintentionally comical).

Sun commands a gun at the fort Zhennanguan at the border between Vietnam and China. After several bullets have been fired, Sun is called to help some wounded. (Sun was a physician by profession). Sun himself first fires a shot that hits the Qing base, then he walks over to perform the surgery. In a low wooden hut Sun and Hu Hanmin 胡漢民 play chess; Huang Xing enters the room and the three of them go to bed. They discuss about whether or not to leave the Zhennanguan fort. Sun does not want to leave it, although their situation is quite hopeless and projectiles are going down close to them all the time. Hu Hanmin and Huang Xing force Sun against his will to leave the fort. The Zhennanguan uprising fails.
(Here Sun is shown as a revolutionary at the front line because this was the only uprising he personally participated in. He himself fires the gun, hits of course and then performs surgeries. He does not want to leave Zhennanguan although he would probably die if he stayed. In this way he is presented as a military leader who cares for the wounded and has the spirit of a martyr; as one who would face his martyrdom without fear, if he would not be prevented from it, against his own will).

The overseas Chinese have some doubts about the use of the money they donated before, therefore Sun explains the situation, the efforts they make, that there is a need for another uprising and that they need a lot of money. The scene ends with Sun saying: "Outside China [you] donate money, inside China [they] donate [their] lives".

Revolutionaries fight against Qing troops in Guangzhou, in the middle of a "sea of fire". Zhu Zhixin appears as a heroic military leader. The revolutionaries fight courageously, though a lot of them are killed. In the end there are shown 72 coffins, and a script appears: March 29th , the Guangzhou uprising fails.
(In the screenplay the expression "in the middle of a sea of fire" (火海中) appears 21 times, and, in fact, the whole scene is dominated by the image of fire – probably to underline that this was the greatest loss of lives in the history of the revolutionary movement).

Sun cries in front of the altar with the 72 tablets. The head of the Hongmen society tries to console him and hands him over a lot of money because "the blood of our brethren shall not be given for nothing; they must be avenged".

Sun Yat-sen reads in the newspaper that the revolution in China was successful. He tells everybody in the restaurant about it; the surrounding people (Americans) applaud. Then follows a series of short scenes of places around the world where Sun meets important people (Japan, France, America) to gather diplomatic support for the new republic. Sun meets also overseas Chinese (Singapore). In China soldiers are celebrating on the streets (Wuhan, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Fujian and Nanjing, all of them in southern China, since the North is still with the Qing at this moment).

A welcome party for Sun Yat-sen in Shanghai at the Aili Garden with important people from politics, the military and society, as well as foreign friends (including Inukai, Miyazaki and Tôyama, his old Japanese friends) is going on. Inside of a hall Sun gives an interview to foreign reporters. He says the establishment of a new government and the restoration of order in China would only take some months. China would be open to the world now. Then he meets his Japanese friends and greets Soong Ailing (soon to become his secretary and later his sister-in-law). Outside in the garden Song Jiaoren talks with Hu Hanmin about the situation; they see Yuan Shikai 陸皓東 as a possible future president, since he holds the overwhelming military power in China. At the buffet Mrs. Hardoon (owner of the garden) toasts to Sun Yat-sen’s health. Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing go out into the garden and meet Song Jiaoren and Hu Hanmin. The four of them talk about Sun’s impending assumption of office as provisional president.
(Here a turning-point is foreshadowed; we still have the enthusiasm of the successful revolution, but the first signs of the upcoming problems are visible).

The representatives of the 17 provinces are together to vote for the president. Meanwhile Sun Yat-sen, already wearing the president's suite, receives his friend Miyazaki who comes to visit him. Sun asks him to organize some money which he needs urgently. Otherwise he would not be able to hold on to his president ship. Miyazaki agrees to try with the Japanese Mitsui Company.

Nanjing is a virtual sea of the new five-coloured flags (representing the big five different ethnic groups constituting the republic: Han, Manchu, Mongols, Tibetans and Hui) and any kind of lanterns. There is a military ceremony accompanying the assumption of office of the new provisional president. The representatives of 17 provinces declare their wishes to the provisional government: Freedom for everyone, and that Sun may take good care of the republic. Sun delivers a speech in which he promises the people to be loyal to the country, to serve the people, to do everything to overthrow dictatorship, prevent chaos from the country and establish the new republic in the international world, so that it would be recognised by other countries. Then the regalia of power, including the president’s seal, are handed over to him. After the oath taking, in front of the five-coloured flag, Sun Yat-sen affixes the seal on the adjuration.

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