During the National Day holiday, visitors ascend the strenuous 392 steps just to admire founding father Sun Yat-sen’s seated statue. According to tour guides, the ascent embodies the difficult revolutionary path taken by 392 million compatriots in Sun Yat-sen’s time. Visitors talk with friends and relatives about their lives, careers, and relationships, as well as their partial understanding of the nation’s history. They stop at various spots for photos with and those of sights and symbols they consider important. The closer they get, the more silent they eventually become, all breathing heavily. Once they reach the Mausoleum, they often sigh with admiration as if Sun’s revolution had succeeded, and when they turn around, they see the entire Nanjing city and the antlike stream of visitors ascending the very steps they have trodden.

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