Hong Kong residents will be able to gain a deeper insight into Dr. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary activities in Nanyang region in the early 20th century through the "Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Nanyang" exhibition at Museum of History starting Thursday.

The exhibition will feature some 60 historical photographs, artifacts such as calligraphy and correspondence, illustrated panel texts and a documentary video.

The grandson of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Sun Tse-ping attended Wednesday's opening ceremony.

Assistant Director of Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services, Gerard Tsang Chu-chiu said at the opening ceremony that preparation work for refurbishing the Kom Tong Hall into a Dr. SunYat-sen Museum was under way.

"In line with the work, the Hong Kong Museum of History has, inthe past few years, collaborated closely with other museums named after Dr. Sun and held a series of exhibitions introducing Dr. Sunand the 1911 revolution. The 'Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Nanyang' exhibition is the fruitful result of inter-museum co-operation."

Dr. Sun Yat-sen once remarked that "the overseas Chinese were the mother of the 1911 Revolution." During the course of overthrowing the Qing regime and establishing the Chinese Republic,Dr. Sun left his footprints in almost every corner of the world to undertake his revolutionary mission. He frequently sojourned in the Nanyang region and the Nanyang Chinese were most active in soliciting funds, arranging propaganda and staging uprisings. Thatlaid a solid foundation for the success of the 1911 Revolution.

Nanyang is geographically referred to as present-day Southeast Asia.

In the early 20th century, the Chinese population in Nanyang was 6 million, making up 79 percent of the overseas Chinese in total. They contributed more than half of the funding for the revolutionary campaign after the founding of the Tong Meng Hui (United League).
 
(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2005)