A delegation led by former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, Ma Ying-jeou, visited the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, Tuesday morning.

Sun Yat-sen is known to the Chinese people as a great national hero, patriot and forerunner of China's democratic revolution.

Ma presented a floral basket to the statue of Sun in the sacrifice hall of the mausoleum. Then the delegation observed a minute of silence.

Ma and some members of the delegation paid their respects to Sun in the coffin chamber.

Ma wrote an inscription meaning "Peace, endeavor, revitalizing China" in commemoration.

In an interaction with media outlets after the visit, Ma said people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same Chinese nation.

"The Chinese people on both sides of the Strait should work together in pursuit of peace, avoid war, and be committed to the revitalization of China. This is an inevitable responsibility that we must work hard to fulfill," Ma said.

Ma also called on the young people in Taiwan to gain a deep understanding of the life of Sun and the cross-Strait relations, noting that the delegation will convey the hospitality and kindness they receive on the mainland to people on the island.

Chinese revolutionaries represented by Sun launched the Revolution of 1911 that brought down the Qing government, ended the absolute monarchy that had ruled China for thousands of years, and paved the way for the profound social changes that have taken place in modern China.

Sun once noted that "reunification" is the hope of all Chinese people. He had always firmly safeguarded national reunification and unity and taken a clear-cut stance against words and actions aimed at splitting China and the Chinese nation.

"The aspiration of revitalizing China, held by Sun and pioneers of the Revolution of 1911, should be a common pursuit for people across the Strait," said Liu Xiangping, an expert on Taiwan studies at Nanjing University, when commenting on Ma's visit to the mausoleum.

"Compatriots on both sides of the Strait should carry forward the spirit of national revitalization championed by Sun," said Li Zhenguang, a professor at the Beijing Union University.

"Under the new historical conditions, compatriots on both sides should jointly maintain the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and realize national rejuvenation, which is the best commemoration for Sun," Li said.

Ma arrived in Shanghai on Monday. His itinerary in the mainland includes Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing and Shanghai. 

(With input from Xinhua)