Brief History of Sun Yat Sen Villa (Wan Qing Yuan)1900 - 1906:Built in 1900, this double-storey bungalow (formerly known as Bin Chan House) was initially built for the beloved mistress of wealthy businessman Boey Chuan Poh. Years later, rubber magnate Mr Teo Eng Hock acquired the residence for his aged mother, Mdm Tan Poh Neo. The villa was then given a new Chinese name, Wan Qing Yuan (Ã�ÃÇçÔ°), to symbolise peace and happiness in his mother's twilight years. A fervent supporter of the Chinese revolutionary cause, Mr Teo Eng Hock later offered the place to Dr Sun Yat Sen for his revolutionary activities in February 1906.
1906 - 1911:Dr Sun Yat Sen chose Singapore as the nerve centre of his revolutionary movement (Tong Meng Hui) in Southeast Asia, due to its excellent geographical location as a port of call and its considerable Chinese immigrant population. It was in this villa that Dr Sun led numerous red-blooded Chinese men in the planning of several uprisings against the Manchu (Qing) government. Shining examples include the Zhennanguan and Huanggang uprisings.
With his determination and resilience, combined with the massive support from Chinese all over the world, Dr Sun Yat Sen succeeded in establishing a modern China, free from several thousand years of feudalistic rule upon the success of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911.
Dr Sun came to Singapore on eight separate occasions. His third and final visit to the villa was in 1910 before leaving for Penang with his family. In 1911, the Wuchang Uprising succeeded and he went on to be inaugurated the first Provisional President of the Republic of China.
As years passed by, gone were the days of glory. Teo Eng Hock lost much of his wealth after 1911 and the villa was subsequently sold to an Indian merchant as a private residence.
1937 - 1938:In 1937, six former comrades of Dr Sun Yat Sen - Messrs Lee Kong Chian, Lee Chin Tian, Lee Choon Seng, Tan Ean Kiam, Chew Hean Swee and Yeo Kiat Tiow, jointly acquired the villa and offered the place to the Chinese Nanjing Republican Government in 1938. The villa was placed under the care of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
1942 - 1945:During the Japanese Occupation, the villa was used as a Japanese Communication Centre and Kempeitai branch.
1945 - 1949:After the war, it was turned into a headquarters for the local branch of the Kuomintang. Upon the demise of the Kuomintang in China in 1949, the villa was officially entrusted to the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
1964 - 1966:In December 1964, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce decided to revamp the villa to commemorate Dr Sun and his revolutionary movement. The project was completed in 1965. That November 12, Dr Sun's 99th birthday was celebrated at the villa. In 1966, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce exhibited the remains of the civilians who perished during the Japanese Occupation at the villa. At this point, the villa had two exhibitions - Dr Sun's artefacts and pictures, and the remains of the victims of war.
1994 - 1997:The villa was gazetted a national monument in 1994 by the Preservation of Monuments Board. It was renamed Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall in 1996 to trace Dr Sun's revolutionary activities in the Southeast Asian region, especially in Singapore and Malaya, before he successfully ended the reign of the Qing Dynasty in China. The memorial hall was closed to the public in 1997 for renovation and expansion.
2001:The rejuvenated memorial hall opens its doors on 12 November 2001 to coincide with Dr Sun's 135th birthday.
From Dr Sun Yat Sen Villa to Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial HallIn November 1994, the Preservation of Monuments Board (a statutory board under MITA) gazetted the villa as a national monument. On February 19 1995, Brigadier-General (NS) George Yeo, then the Minister for Information & the Arts and Minister for Health (now Minister for Trade & Industry), visited the Dr Sun Yat Sen Villa located at 12 Tai Gin Road, off Ah Hood Road along Balestier Road. Though tucked away at such an obscure location, the minister recognised the important role the villa played in the course of Asian history - this was the villa that housed Dr Sun Yat Sen, the leader of the 1911 Chinese revolution which toppled the Qing dynasty's 267-year rule over China - and recommended the preservation of the villa as a historical monument and urged the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry to refurbish the villa.
In the words of the minister, the villa gave us "the sense of having participated not just in the history of China, but in the history of all Chinese people, including the Chinese in Singapore".
In 1996, the villa was renamed Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall to recognise the contributions of the Nanyang (Southeast Asian) people towards the 1911 Chinese revolution.
As owner of the villa, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry formed a subsidiary company, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall Co. Ltd on June 13 1997 with three committees - property, cultural & historical research and fundraising - to oversee the restoration and extension of the villa.
"Cultural Shrine"On 12 November 1996, we celebrated the 130th anniversary of Dr Sun Yat Sen's birth at the villa. Brigadier-General (NS) George Yeo was the guest-of-honour.
In his speech during the celebration, BG Yeo stated, "the conservation of the Wan Qing Yuan is a very important cultural project for Chinese Singaporeans. The 1911 Chinese Revolution is a very important part of our cultural history which we must never forget. This building should therefore be preserved as a cultural shrine for all ethnic Chinese Singaporeans. It will also be of great interest to non-Chinese Singaporeans and others in the world."
Push FactorsA 5-member development committee was elected to oversee the entire project. The members include Messrs Kwek Leng Joo, Teo Chiang Long, Chuang Shaw Peng, Chua Thuan Koon and Teo Tong Wah. Mr Kwek Leng Joo chaired the committee.
Besides this committee, a fundraising unit was formed and led by council members Mr Cheong Wing and Mr Lun Yue Sheong.
With the support and backing of the above committees, the cultural and historical research team was then able to fill the galleries of the memorial hall with substance.
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