Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Taipei) and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Guangzhou)
.
The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall is a double-storey colonial
villa
at Balestier in Singapore
. The villa is now a museum
commemorating Dr Sun Yat Sen
who visited Singapore eight times between 1900 and 1911.
In 1905, the villa was bought by rubber
magnate Teo Eng Hock 张永福—great-granduncle of Singapore Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Defence Teo Chee Hean
—from a timber
merchant for his aged mother, Mdm Tan Poh Neo. A fervent supporter of the Chinese Revolution movement to overthrow the Qing dynasty
in China
, Teo Eng Hock later offered the place as the Singapore branch of the Tong Meng Hui, or the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, to Dr Sun Yat Sen
for his revolutionary activities in February 1906 until the successful Xinhai Revolution
in 1911. Tong Meng Hui was formed to help drum up support and raise money for the revolution. The villa later became the alliance's Southeast Asia
headquarters.
According to George Yeo
, the Foreign Minister of Singapore, in those days the flag of the Republic of China
(青天白日滿地紅) was sewn in the Sun Yat Sen Villa by Teo Eng Hock and his wife.
After the revolution in 1911, Mr Teo's business declined and he sold the 2,760 m² property. In March 1937, it was bought by a group of six leading Chinese businessmen in Singapore, including philanthropist
Lee Kong Chian
, to be preserved as a historical site.
During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
in World War II
, the villa was used as a communications hub by the Japanese.
In the early 1950s, the villa was handed over to the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The chamber turned it into a place of historical interest in 1965 after a major renovation and was known as Sun Yat Sen Villa.
Gazetted a national monument
on 28 October 1994, it symbolises the contributions of the overseas Chinese
to the revolutionary movement in China, as well as the inspiration of Dr. Sun's nationalist
ideals on the people of Singapore, which was formerly a British Colony
.
The villa was closed in November 1997 for restoration at a cost of S$7.5 million, and reopened in November 2001 as the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.
Today, the villa is home to a collection of at least 50 paintings, calligraphy
works and sculptures.
One highlight is a 2-metre tall bronze
wall mural
which spans 60 m to the back of the building and depicts Singapore's history
from the 1840s to the 1940s. Sculpted by artists from China
, it is probably Singapore's longest bronze mural. Work started as early as 1999 and was completed in early 2005. Costing nearly S$1 million, the museum's most expensive artwork depicts scenes like Singapore as a fishing
village
in the 1840s and the Sook Ching massacre
during the Japanese occupation of Singapore
.
Scattered around the garden
grounds are several bronze statues, including those of martyr
s who helped Dr Sun, and a metre-tall sculpture of Dr Sun, seated on a chair, which was presented by the Kuomintang
in China back in 1937. More bronze sculptures of Dr Sun line the hallway leading to the museum's entrance.
The second level of the museum displays oil
and watercolour
paintings and calligraphy
works by top Singaporean and Chinese artists, such as the late Singapore pioneer painter Liu Kang, well-known Buddhist monk and artist Reverend Song Nian, and Cultural Medallion-winning artists Ong Kim Seng and Tan Swie Hian
.
Besides paintings in oil and water colour, and a bronze relief showing rubber
tappers at work in Malaya
, some 400 other photographs, artefacts
and audio-visual
equipment are also exhibited to tell the story of Dr Sun's success in Southeast Asia
, where he drummed up support for his revolution. These include more than 10 major oil paintings, including a showpiece 6 m-by-3 m in oil, showing Dr Sun speaking in 1907 to tin
miners and rubber
plantation workers at Kampar
in Perak
in then Malaya.
Most of the paintings, the bronze wall mural and the bronze statues and busts, worth over S$1.5 million, which were commissioned by the museum, were paid for by the Lee Foundation
.
The museum receives about 2,000 visitors a month, mainly students and tourists.
With effect from 11 October 2010, the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall will be closed for redevelopment works, and scheduled to re-open on 8 October 2011 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Chinese Revolution.
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Guangzhou)
The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is an octagon-shaped building in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. The hall was designed by Lu Yanzhi and was built with funds raised by local and overseas Chinese people in memory of Sun Yat-sen. Construction work commenced in 1929 and completed in 1931...
.
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
at Balestier in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The villa is now a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
commemorating Dr Sun Yat Sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
who visited Singapore eight times between 1900 and 1911.
History
The villa is believed to have been built by businessman Boey Chuan Poh in 1880 to house his mistress, Bin Chan, from whom came the building's original name, Bin Chan House.In 1905, the villa was bought by rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
magnate Teo Eng Hock 张永福—great-granduncle of Singapore Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Defence Teo Chee Hean
Teo Chee Hean
Teo Chee Hean is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, and a Member of Parliament for the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group...
—from a timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
merchant for his aged mother, Mdm Tan Poh Neo. A fervent supporter of the Chinese Revolution movement to overthrow the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Teo Eng Hock later offered the place as the Singapore branch of the Tong Meng Hui, or the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance, to Dr Sun Yat Sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
for his revolutionary activities in February 1906 until the successful Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
in 1911. Tong Meng Hui was formed to help drum up support and raise money for the revolution. The villa later became the alliance's Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
headquarters.
According to George Yeo
George Yeo
George Yeo Yong-Boon is a former politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he served in the Cabinet from 1991 to 2011 as the Minister for Information and the Arts , Minister for Health , Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Foreign Affairs...
, the Foreign Minister of Singapore, in those days the flag of the Republic of China
Flag of the Republic of China
The Flag of the Republic of China is red with a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. In Chinese, the flag is commonly described as Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth to reflect its attributes....
(青天白日滿地紅) was sewn in the Sun Yat Sen Villa by Teo Eng Hock and his wife.
After the revolution in 1911, Mr Teo's business declined and he sold the 2,760 m² property. In March 1937, it was bought by a group of six leading Chinese businessmen in Singapore, including philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Lee Kong Chian
Lee Kong Chian
Lee Kong Chian , was a prominent businessman and philanthropist and the founder of The Lee Foundation in Singapore. He was one of Southeast Asia's richest men in the 1950s and 1960s. He was the son-in-law of philanthropist Tan Kah Kee.-Early life:...
, to be preserved as a historical site.
During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the villa was used as a communications hub by the Japanese.
In the early 1950s, the villa was handed over to the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The chamber turned it into a place of historical interest in 1965 after a major renovation and was known as Sun Yat Sen Villa.
Gazetted a national monument
National Monuments of Singapore
National Monuments of Singapore are buildings and structures in Singapore that have been designated by the Preservation of Monuments Board as being of special historic, traditional, archaeological, architectural or artistic value....
on 28 October 1994, it symbolises the contributions of the overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
to the revolutionary movement in China, as well as the inspiration of Dr. Sun's nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
ideals on the people of Singapore, which was formerly a British Colony
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
The villa was closed in November 1997 for restoration at a cost of S$7.5 million, and reopened in November 2001 as the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.
Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall today
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
works and sculptures.
One highlight is a 2-metre tall bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
wall mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
which spans 60 m to the back of the building and depicts Singapore's history
History of Singapore
The history of Singapore dates to the 11th century. The island rose in importance during the 14th century under the rule of Srivijayan prince Parameswara and became an important port until it was destroyed by Acehnese raiders in 1613. The modern history of Singapore began in 1819 when Englishman...
from the 1840s to the 1940s. Sculpted by artists from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, it is probably Singapore's longest bronze mural. Work started as early as 1999 and was completed in early 2005. Costing nearly S$1 million, the museum's most expensive artwork depicts scenes like Singapore as a fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the 1840s and the Sook Ching massacre
Sook Ching massacre
The Sook Ching massacre was a systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore by the Japanese military during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, after the British colony surrendered on 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. Sook Ching was later...
during the Japanese occupation of Singapore
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
.
Scattered around the garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
grounds are several bronze statues, including those of martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s who helped Dr Sun, and a metre-tall sculpture of Dr Sun, seated on a chair, which was presented by the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
in China back in 1937. More bronze sculptures of Dr Sun line the hallway leading to the museum's entrance.
The second level of the museum displays oil
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
and watercolour
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
paintings and calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
works by top Singaporean and Chinese artists, such as the late Singapore pioneer painter Liu Kang, well-known Buddhist monk and artist Reverend Song Nian, and Cultural Medallion-winning artists Ong Kim Seng and Tan Swie Hian
Tan Swie Hian
Tan Swie Hian is a Singaporean multidisciplinary artist known for his contemporary Chinese calligraphy, chinese poetry and contemporary art sculptures found in Singapore and many parts of the world....
.
Besides paintings in oil and water colour, and a bronze relief showing rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
tappers at work in Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
, some 400 other photographs, artefacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
and audio-visual
Audio-visual
The term Audio-Visual may refer to works with both a sound and a visual component, the production or use of such works, or to equipment used to create and present such works...
equipment are also exhibited to tell the story of Dr Sun's success in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, where he drummed up support for his revolution. These include more than 10 major oil paintings, including a showpiece 6 m-by-3 m in oil, showing Dr Sun speaking in 1907 to tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
miners and rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
plantation workers at Kampar
Kampar, Perak
Kampar Kampar Kampar (Chinese:金宝） is a town in the state of Perak, Malaysia. Founded in 1887, the town lies within the Kinta Valley and located in the newly-created Kampar District, an area rich with tin reserves. It was a tin mining town which boomed during the height of the tin mining industry....
in Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
in then Malaya.
Most of the paintings, the bronze wall mural and the bronze statues and busts, worth over S$1.5 million, which were commissioned by the museum, were paid for by the Lee Foundation
Lee Foundation
Lee Foundation is a charitable foundation in Singapore created to aid "the advancement of education, medicine and cultural activities; helping the poor; and assisting victims of fire, flood and famine", It also funded other philanthropic work...
.
The museum receives about 2,000 visitors a month, mainly students and tourists.
With effect from 11 October 2010, the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall will be closed for redevelopment works, and scheduled to re-open on 8 October 2011 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Chinese Revolution.
See also
- Sun Yat-sen MausoleumSun Yat-sen MausoleumDr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum is situated at the foot of the second peak of Mount Zijin in Nanjing, China. Construction of the tomb started in January 1926 and was finished in spring of 1929. The architect was Lu Yanzhi, who died shortly after it was finished.- History :Dr...
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial HallSun Yat-sen Memorial HallThe National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is located in Taipei, Republic of China . It is a memorial to the Republic of China's National Father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and was completed on 1972. The total building area covers in an open space of...
- Sun Yat Sen Memorial HouseSun Yat Sen Memorial HouseSun Yat Sen Memorial House or Memorial House of Dr. Sun Yat Sen is located in Macau where former family members and relatives of Sun Yat-sen, the 'Father of Modern China' of Taiwan and China used to live. The House bears witness to his short but significant stay in Macau in the early 20th century...