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
(ÍíÇçÔ°), 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
Hall
In 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 Factors
A 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.
Click here to learnt more about Wan Qing
Yuan
