1 November 2024

Dr Sun Yat Sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty and led us into a new China era, beginning 1911. He was born on November 12, 1866 and died on March 12, 1925; he died at 58. While his greatness requires a university program for analysis, there are many memorial venues we can go leisurely all over the world. If one wants to understand Dr Sun’s work and philosophy, in addition to reading, visiting these venues will enhance one’s knowledge, as well as the duties and proudness of being Chinese.

 

There are more than 30 major memorial venues named after Dr Sun, many many more, if we count residences, parks, and station names. In Hong Kong alone, there is a Dr Sun Yat Sen Museum on Castle Road, Central. It was a huge mansion, opened as a museum in 2006; it is now under renovation and will be re-opened in 2025.  Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park opened in 2002 with different tracks and indoor sporting facilities. Its coastal location is ideal for a short walk anytime of the day.

 

Research also mentioned that The Dr Sun Yat Sen Historical Trail was set up in November 1996 by the Central and Western District Council to commemorate the 130th birthday of Dr Sun, and celebrate his life in Hong Kong. It includes 16 spots in the area of Central and Sheung Wan in Hong Kong, related to the life of Dr Sun and other revolutionaries in the late-Qing era. In 2018, the trail was further updated under a Revitalization Project, where artists were  commissioned by the government to create art at each location.

 

As mentioned, there are many more such locations, bigger and more informative, around the world.  But the one which impresses us most is the Zhongshan Station in Antarctica, which was opened on February 26, 1989. Managed by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC), it is located in the Larsemann Hills near Prydz Bay in East Antarctica.  The station also hosts a ground station built by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation.

 

If you followed Dr Sun’s footsteps to different cities, it would have been many trips and a very fruitful travelogue. One wonders how he could travel to so many places, with multiple visits for some Asian cities. Next time when you are in London, for example, visit his once residence, now called City Junior School on 8 Warwick Court, a short walk from Charles Dickens Museum.  You will see Dr Sun’s face sculpture on the wall.

Walk in his shoes.

 

Anson Yang