In honour of Sun Yat-sen
hkviews, China Daily Hong Kong Edition (11 Feb, 2011)
BY PATRICK LAU SAU-SHING
The year 2011 marks the centenary of the historic 1911 Revolution (or Xinhai Revolution)
which brought about the fall of the Qing Dynasty and put an end to imperial rule in China.
The leader of the Revolution was Dr Sun Yat-sen and I was very pleased to have the
opportunity to meet one of his grand-daughters recently, at the unveiling ceremony for a
bronze statue of Dr Sun donated by her at The Open University of Hong Kong. As a
Council Member of The Open University, I think it is most meaningful to erect a statue of
Dr Sun at the campus because it is conducive to promoting national and civic education.
Regarding the history of the 1911 Revolution, on account of the colonial situation of
Hong Kong, many people of my generation did not receive any schooling about what
actually happened. The history curriculum in those days ended at the establishment of
the Qing Dynasty in China and important events like the Opium Wars, the Scramble for
Concessions or the 1911 Revolution were excluded. We could only acquire knowledge of
those events by reading relevant history books on our own.
When I travel, I like to visit the history museums of different places, particular those
that feature exhibitions about contemporary Chinese historical events like the 1911
Revolution, as they can help reinforce my understanding of modern China. I was very
impressed by The Museum of Dr Sun Yat-Sen in Zhongshan county of Guangdong
Province, which was built in the precinct of Dr Sun’s original home and incorporated his
family house as part of the museum. Besides showing the biographical history of Dr Sun’s
personal life, the museum also gives a detailed account of the development of the 1911
Revolution.
Nanjing is another important city in the history of the Revolution. At Mount Zijin, one
could visit Dr Sun’s tomb at Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and learn much about his life at
the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Museum. Apart from a bronze statue of Dr Sun, this museum also
houses wax figures of the main revolutionary leaders. The China Modern History Museum
can be found at the original building of the Presidential Palace of republican China before
1949. The building was converted into a museum in the late 1980s and it features a
number of exhibitions including the “History of the Taiping Rebellion” (the museum stands
at the site of the palace where the Taiping leader Hong Xiuquan lived), “Life and Times of
Dr Sun” and “Five Yuan (or Council) System of the National Government”.
In the National Palace Museum in Taipei, one could see not only a huge bronze
statue of Dr Sun, but also his original manuscript of the Outline for the Establishment of
the Nationalist Government. By visiting different museums on both sides of the Taiwan
Strait, we can obtain in-depth understanding of the core idea of Dr Sun’s Five Yuan
System. This System is a unique constitutional arrangement designed by Dr Sun, who
separated the Nationalist Government into five branches, i.e. the Executive Yuan,
Legislative Yuan, Judicial Yuan, Examination Yuan (oversees civil service examinations
and other personnel matters), and Control Yuan (an investigatory council that monitors the
other branches).
We must however never overlook the significance of Hong Kong in Dr Sun’s life and in
the history of the 1911 Revolution. Not many people know that there is a Sun Yat Sen
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Memorial Park on the Sai Ying Pun waterfront. Situated next to the Western Park Sports
Centre, the location of the Park marks the site where Dr Sun had to moor his boat and
meet fellow revolutionary supporters on board because the British colonial government
forced him out of Hong Kong due to his involvement in revolutionary activities. There is
also a colonnaded chime tower fashioned after the design of the clock-tower of The
University of Hong Kong, symbolising Dr Sun’s academic life in Hong Kong: he used to
attend the Diocesan Home and Orphanage (present-day Diocesan Boys’ School), Central
School (present-day Queen’s College) and the Hong Kong College of Medicine (presentday The University of Hong Kong).
There is another important revitalisation project being implemented by the Urban
Renewal Authority relating to Dr Sun’s activities in Hong Kong. A themed and fully
landscaped public open space to celebrate the “Origin of the Chinese Revolution” will be
constructed at Pak Tse Lane in the Peel Street/Graham Street area. Pak Tse Lane was
the original site of the Furen Wenshe (Literary Society for the Promotion of Benevolence)
founded by Yang Quyun and Xie Zuantai in 1892, who were later invited by Dr Sun to join
the revolutionary Xing Zhong Hui (Revive China Society) in 1895, with Yang elected as its
President.
Pak Tse Lane is one of the stops of the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Historical Trail, with the
beginning point at the original site of Diocesan Home and Orphanage at Eastern Street
and the finishing point at the original site of He Ji Zhan at D’Aguilar Street. This Trail
includes many important locations related to Dr Sun’s life and revolutionary activities,
including the site of the “Hong Kong Headquarters of Xing Zhong Hui” in Staunton Street
and the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum on Castle Road, converted from Kom Tong Hall. The
Hall was the residence of Ho Kom-tong, the younger brother of Hong Kong's magnate
Robert Hotung, who financed Dr Sun’s revolutionary activities.
Dr Sun is doubtless an important figure in modern Chinese history. I think we should
take advantage of the centenary of the 1911 Revolution to enhance the historical and civic
education of our younger generations at schools. The Hong Kong Government should
also make extra efforts in promoting public awareness in our heritage by allocating more
resources to the revitalisation and restoration of historic buildings related to the Revolution.
The author is a Member (Architectural, Surveying and Planning Functional Constituency)
of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR, an honorary professor of architecture at the
University of Hong Kong, a professional architect, and past Vice-Chairman of the Town
Planning Board.
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