Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Not to be confused with Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Taipei) or Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Guangzhou).

Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Logo of Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Established	November 2001
Location	Balestier, Singapore
Collection size	Artefacts from the Xinhai Revolution and life of Sun Yat-sen
Website	Official website

Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall (simplified Chinese: 孙中山南洋纪念馆; traditional Chinese: 孫中山南洋紀念館; pinyin: Sūn Zhōngshān Nányáng Jìniàn Guǎn), also known as Wan Qing Yuan (simplified Chinese: 晚晴园; traditional Chinese: 晚晴園; pinyin: Wǎn Qíng Yuán), and formerly as Sun Yat Sen Villa (simplified Chinese: 孙中山故居; traditional Chinese: 孫中山故居; pinyin: Sūn Zhōngshān Gùjū), is a two-storey colonial style villa in Balestier, Singapore. The villa is now a museum commemorating Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China, who visited Singapore nine times between 1900 and 1911.

Located at 12 Tai Gin Road in Balestier, the villa occupies an area of approximately 3,120 square metres and played a crucial role in the 1911 Xinhai Revolution by serving as the Tongmenghui's base in Nanyang (Southeast Asia) in the early 20th century.

History

Wan Qing Yuan was first built by a local wealthy businessman, Boey Chuan Poh, in 1902 who named it "Bin Chan House". The two-storey villa was constructed in a classical colonial style and features ornate arched windows and doors as well as eaves decorated with floral patterns. The villa was ideal for tropical living because its movable louvred windows, a characteristic of houses in Southeast Asia which allowed for natural lighting and good ventilation.

In 1905, Teo Eng Hock bought the villa for his mother, Tan Poh Neo, as a place of retirement. In July 1905, Sun Yat-sen met Teo Eng Hock, Tan Chor Lam and Lim Nee Soon through his close friend, Yau Lit, when he was on his way to Europe from Japan. In April 1906, when Sun returned to Singapore, Teo Eng Hock offered Wan Qing Yuan for his use after consulting his mother.

Sun Yat-sen subsequently established the Tongmenghui's Singapore branch at Wan Qing Yuan and the villa became his base for the propagation and dissemination of his revolutionary ideals. In July 1908, Sun designated Singapore as his revolutionary headquarters in Southeast Asia in order to better coordinate the various revolutionary activities in the region.

When the initial armed uprisings in China failed, and Sun Yat-sen was in exile, Wan Qing Yuan served as an important centre for Sun's revolutionary activities in Southeast Asia. It was a gathering place for notable Chinese leaders such as Hu Hanmin, Wang Jingwei, Huang Xing and many others, as well as overseas Chinese revolutionaries in Southeast Asia.

Sun Yat-sen made Wan Qing Yuan the epicentre for the planning of numerous uprisings and fundraising activities. A total of three uprisings - Chaozhou Uprising (May 1907), Zhennanguan Uprising (December 1907) and Hekou Uprising (April 1908) - were secretly planned at Wan Qing Yuan. In Wan Qing Yuan, Sun created four designs of the "Blue Sky, White Sun and Red Earth" flag (which later became the Flag of the Republic of China) and requested Tan Sok Jee, Teo Eng Hock's wife, to embroider the designs.

After Teo Eng Hock sold Wan Qing Yuan in August 1910, the villa changed ownership many times. In 1937, six Chinese leaders, namely Lee Kong Chian, Tan Ean Kiam, Lee Chin Tian, Chew Hean Swee, Lee Chor Seng and Yeo Kiat Tiow, pooled their resources together to purchase the villa. In the following year, they donated the villa to the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce (now the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SCCCI).

After the establishment of the Republic of China, the Chinese Nationalist Government in Nanjing funded the refurbishment of Wan Qing Yuan and turned it into a Memorial Hall in 1940. At the same time, they gathered information and artefacts related to Sun Yat-sen from overseas Chinese communities and opened the hall to the public on New Year's Day in 1940 so that they could pay tribute to Sun.

During the Japanese occupation of Singapore (February 1942-September 1945) in World War II, the Japanese used Wan Qing Yuan as a communication base and many of the original artefacts and furniture of the hall were destroyed. After the war, the Nationalist Government funded the restoration of Wan Qing Yuan and set up the Kuomintang's Singapore branch in the villa.

However, following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in October 1949, the British colonial government in Singapore prohibited the establishment of an overseas Kuomintang branch at Wan Qing Yuan. In 1951, Wan Qing Yuan was handed back to the SCCCI and became known as the "Sun Yat Sen Villa" following renovations in 1964.

In 1994, the Singapore government gazetted Wan Qing Yuan as a national monument. Two years later, the SCCCI renamed Wan Qing Yuan to "Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall" and announced its plans to expand the Memorial Hall. The museum was subsequently opened to the public for viewing in 2001.

In 2009, the SCCCI appointed the National Heritage Board to manage Wan Qing Yuan and the villa underwent redevelopment works in October 2010. One year later, Wan Qing Yuan was re-opened to the public on 8 October 2011 to commemorate the centenary of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution.

Current status

Sculpture of Sun Yat-sen seated on a chair

The villa is now home to a collection of close to 400 artefacts, including calligraphy works, photographs, old books, paintings, sculptures & etc, all spread over the five galleries in two levels. The villa is redecorated in the style of an old Peranakan house and has 180 new artefacts added.

Details of the five galleries are as follows:

1. Gallery 1: Features the history of the villa, and the lives and contributions of Teo Eng Hock, Lim Nee Soon and Tan Chor Lam, three key supporters of Sun Yat-sen in Singapore.
2. Gallery 2: Features the events leading to the 1911 Xinhai Revolution and how Singapore served as a base for the Tongmenghui's activities in Southeast Asia.
3. Gallery 3: Features the impact of the Xinhai Revolution on the Chinese community in Southeast Asia, and key figures from Malaya who supported the revolution.
4. Gallery 4: Explores the changes in the Chinese diaspora as a consequence of the Xinhai Revolution, including the impacts on commerce, trade, education and vernacular literature in various parts of the world.
5. Gallery 5: Showcases temporary exhibitions and wraps up the visitors' experience at the museum.

Notable artefacts:

• Photograph of Sun Yat-sen and members of the Tongmenghui's Singapore branch, taken at Wan Qing Yuan around 1906.
• Nanyang and the Founding of the Republic, the Memoir of Teo Eng Hock, a book by Teo Eng Hock, providing a detailed record of the Tongmenghui's activities in Southeast Asia.
• Wan Qing Yuan and the Chinese Revolution, a recollection by Tan Chor Lam, a book printed in the 1940s, containing records of the Tongmenghui's activities in Singapore.
• A work of Chinese calligraphy, bearing the Chinese characters bo ai (博愛; "universal love"), presented by Sun Yat-sen to Teo Eng Hock's nephew Teo Beng Wan.
• Seal belonging to Tan Chor Lam, engraved with the Chinese characters jie ai guo yuan (結愛國緣; "love for country and fellow countrymen").

See also

• Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
• Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
• Sun Yat Sen Memorial House

References

• The Straits Times, "House of history", 29 December 2005

External links

• Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
• Sun Yat Sen Villa By Cornelius-Takahama, Vernon written on 2001-05-25