In 1899, he joined the Revive China Society through the introduction of a Professor from Gezhi Academy and met Sun Yat-sen in Yokohama, Japan.

Zheng Shiliang initiated the Huizhou Uprising, while Shi Jianru raised funds in Guangzhou by mortgaging his own land to support the revolution.

However, due to a lack of funds, the revolutionary forces in Guangzhou, led by Shi, were weak, prompting him to devise a big plan to gain influence.

Under the name of his friend Song Shaodong, Shi rented a mansion behind De Shou's residence and dug a tunnel there to store the explosives.

Local authorities swiftly launched an investigation and obtained information about Shi's whereabouts from one of his relatives, who feared being implicated in the case.

On April 28, 1912, Sun Yat-sen convened a memorial ceremony for Shi Jianru in Guangzhou, attended by around six to seven thousand people from all walks of life.

In early 1913, the still-living abbot of the temple informed Hu Hanmin, then governor of Guangzhou and a close friend of Shi Jianru, about the burial.

[3] In 1924, the Kuomintang erected a white marble statue of Shi at Lingnan School, his alma mater, which was unveiled on May 20 and later moved to his shrine.

[3] In 1978, the Guangzhou Cultural Relics Department relocated Shi's golden pagoda to the Huanghuagang Martyrs’ Cemetery and established a shrine for him there, along with his stone statue and Hu Hanmin's inscribed plaque.