TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) elites have paid tribute to the founder of their party and state Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) on the 158th anniversary of the “father of modern China’s” birth.

KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) visited Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei on Sunday (Nov. 12) alongside KMT Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) and former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Hou pledged to devote his life to defending the ROC if elected president, per CNA.

Hou’s office said that when the candidate visited Japan and the U.S. earlier this year, he was following in the footsteps of Sun. It noted that when in the U.S., Hou visited San Francisco’s Sun Yat-sen memorial.

Hou’s campaign also said that Japan was an important base for the founding of the ROC, and when he was in the country in July, a special trip was made to Tokyo’s Matsumotoro building. The building is currently owned by the family of Umeya Shokichi, a financier of Sun’s political activities.

Memorial halls dedicated to Sun exist in Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong, as well as in non-Chinese speaking parts of the world.

Ma Ying-jeou enters Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on Sunday. (CNA photo)