Today is the Chicago Marathon. For weeks I’ve noticed banners flying around Chicago splashed with 10.10.10. The fine print reads Chicago Marathon and Bank of America, the official sponsor.
I’m not a runner, but when I lived in the city, I enjoyed watching the runners take their final strides behind my condo.
Today also marks another important day: Double 10.
On this day 99 years ago, the Wuchang Uprising started in what’s now called Wuhan (and where I spent many a week in the 1990s during my first marriage). Many consider the Uprising and 10.10.1911 as the end of the Qing Dynasty–and the beginning of modern China. While Double 10 is remembered in China for the Wuchang Uprising, it’s a huge deal in Taiwan and is commemorated as their national day. (China’s is celebrated on October 1st).
I remember seeing Nationalist flags flying high in Chicago’s Chinatown when I was younger. Now with a change in demographics in Chinatown, PRC flags are also displayed at this time of year. Even in Hong Kong, I remember seeing photos of Nationalist flags lining the shore in Rennie’s Mill, an area settled by Nationalist officers and soldiers.
I wonder if today is even more auspicious because the year also ends in 10.
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