Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum (Chinese: 孫中山紀念館) is a planned museum in Hong Kong. It will be located in Kom Tong Hall (Chinese: 甘棠第), at 7 Castle Road, Central on Mid-Levels. With the preparation work undertaken by the Hong Kong Museum of History, this new museum is scheduled for its opening in late 2006/ early 2007, so as to commemorate the 140th birthday of this great Chinese statesman.

Introduction

Dr Sun Yat-sen received worldwide reputation as a great revolutionary and his epoch-making career was inseparable from Hong Kong, where he attended schools and nurtured his revolutionary ideas.

From the establishment of the Xing Zhong Hui (Revive China Society) in 1894 to the founding of the Chinese Republic in 1912, Dr Sun kept using Hong Kong as a base of his revolutionary campaign.

His activities mainly focused in the Central and Western District, including the College of Medicine for Chinese at 81 Hollywood Road where Dr Sun received his tertiary education, and Qian Heng Hang at 13 Staunton Street where he set up the headquarters of the Xing Zhong Hui.

As the district records Dr Sun's activities and covers the Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail, the Hong Kong SAR Government selected and acquired Kom Tong Hall at 7 Castle Road as the venue of the proposed Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum.

History of Kom Tong Hall

Kom Tong Hall is a historic building at Mid Levels, Central. It was accorded status Grade II historic building in 1990 by the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB).

The Hall was built in 1914. It was named after the former owner of the Mansion, Ho Kom-tong, who was a younger brother of the prominent philanthropist Sir Robert Ho Tung. The Ho family is the first Chinese family permitted to live in the Mid Levels in the early colonial period.

In 1971, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased the building and has used it since then.

In October 2002, the Church submitted an application to the Building Authority to demolish the building. The Hong Kong Government reached a consensus with the church in preserving the building after series of negotiations.

It will be converted into the museum, due to open in November 2006. By the time the new Museum is opened, it will be compatible with the Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail in its vicinity and let the general public reminisce the activities of Dr Sun and his revolutionary comrades in their heyday.

Relationship between Dr. Sun and Kom Tong Hall

Dr Sun had not set foot at Kom Tong Hall throughout his life, but he was related to Ho Kom Tong, the original owner of the premises, in one way or another.

Both were born in 1866 and were the graduates of the Central School, the present Queen's College, in 1886. Being schoolmates, it was not surprising that Dr Sun and Ho Kom Tong were acquaintances. Ho's elder brother, Sir Robert Ho Tung, even rendered support towards Dr Sun's revolutionary activities.

When Dr Sun left Shanghai for Guangzhou via Hong Kong, he called at Ho Tung's house on 18 February 1923. Two days later, Dr Sun was accompanied by Ho Tung to Loke Yew Hall at the University of Hong Kong, where he was warmly received by the representatives of the University, including Ho Sai Kim, son of Ho Tung and Chairman of the University's student union. Ho Sai Kim even sat beside Dr Sun while a group photograph was taken after the function.

Given the close relations between Ho's family and Dr Sun Yat-sen, Kom Tong Hall is inevitably one of the most suitable venues for the setting up of a Dr Sun Museum.

Architecture

At this three-storey premises, the facade of the top two floors is supported by the Greek-style granite columns surrounding the curved balconies.

Inside the premises are two flights of staircases, with the one at the front for use by the Ho's family and the one at the back for mui tsai, literally maids. Being a typical Edwardian classical building, Kom Tong Hall is majestic and magnificent, and is among the very few surviving structures in Hong Kong, dating back to the early 20th century. The stained-glass windows, veranda wall tiles and staircase railings are all preserved intact.

External links

• Hong Kong Museum of History - Leisure and Cultural Services Department