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The latest exhibition to be launched by the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, "History in Prints: The 1911 Revolution in Guangdong", will trace the beginnings of revolutionary activities in Guangdong, as well as how revolutionary thoughts were widely disseminated through newspapers and publications and exerted a deep influence on people in Guangdong.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province, the exhibition is organised by the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum and will run from November 29 until May 14 next year.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held today (November 27) at the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum. Officiating at the ceremony were the Assistant Director (Heritage and Museums) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Dr Louis Ng; the Deputy Director of the Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province, Mr Ni Junming; and the Chief Curator of the Hong Kong Museum of History, Ms Susanna Siu.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr Ng noted that although the success of the 1911 Revolution took place in Wuchang, the revolutionary campaign originated in Guangdong. The province was also the centre for disseminating revolutionary ideas and played an important role in Dr Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary career, being the place where he first organised uprisings.
After the defeat in the Opium War, Guangzhou became one of the cities that opened up to foreign trade, extending Western states' economic influence to various parts of Guangdong. To fight against foreign powers and Qing government rule, the people of Guangdong instigated a number of campaigns. Meanwhile, the advanced economic development in Guangdong provided the material foundation for the anti-Qing revolutionary activities.
Guangdong was a prominent region in revolutionary activities organised by members of the Tongmenghui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance), which was jointly founded by Dr Sun and other revolutionary organisations. The revolutionaries in Guangdong used the press as a platform to advocate the revolution and reported the uprisings that happened in various places, expanding the influence of revolutionary thinking. This made Guangdong a centre for the spreading of revolutionary ideas in China. After the success of the 1911 Revolution, many publications were published in succession, including books, image records, calendars and postcards. These publications serve as important records of the campaign, and provide an indispensable foundation for later research into the uprisings of the late Qing dynasty and the early Republican period.
Featuring more than 100 relics and historical photos provided by the Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province as well as the Hong Kong Museum of History's collection, including publications published in Guangdong around the time of the 1911 Revolution, and books and images related to the campaign, the exhibition will give visitors an idea of the development of revolutionary activities in Guangdong. Among the exhibits are a host of newspapers and publications that were published in places like Guangzhou and Hong Kong around the time of the 1911 Revolution. They show how the intelligentsia made use of the emerging mass media as the publicity platform to disseminate revolutionary thoughts to the public.
The Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum is located at 7 Castle Road, Mid-Levels, Central, Hong Kong. It is open from 10am to 6pm from Monday to Friday and from 10am to 7pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The museum will be closed at 5pm on Christmas Eve and Lunar New Year's Eve. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Lunar New Year. The standard admission fee is $10 and $7 for group visitors. Full-time students, people with disabilities and senior citizens aged 60 or above can enjoy a half-price concession. Free admission is available every Wednesday.
For exhibition details, please call 2367 6373 or visit the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum's website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/sysm/en/permanent_exh_print.php.
Ends/Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:40
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