China Central Television is to broadcast a Sino-Japanese jointly produced documentary on the years of Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen in Japan to mark 140 years since his birth.

The fourth channel of CCTV (China Central Television) will broadcast the 50-minute documentary, entitled Kyushu -- Following Sun Yat-sen's Path on Saturday afternoon and night, a CCTV spokesperson said.

The documentary, shot by CCTV, the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, and tourism agency of Kyushu, Japan, over a year, will trace Sun's activities in Japan where he stayed for a total of nine years between 1895 and 1924.

Sun was active in the cities of Tokyo, Nagasaki, Kobe and Yokohama, where his experiences are thought to have shaped his ideas of revolution.

He led the historic revolution of 1911 that overthrew the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), ending China's autocratic monarchical system that had been in place for more than 2,000 years.

Sun died in Beijing on March 12, 1925. His body was temporarily kept in the then Central Park, which was renamed Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) Park in 1928.

Sun is a national hero in both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. Roads and parks named "Zhongshan" are seen all over China. His trademark tunic suit, which bears his name, was once part of a national dress code for the country's leaders and people.

(Xinhua News Agency November 4, 2006)