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The Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum was officially opened today (December 11) by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang. It will be opened to the public from tomorrow to celebrate the 140th anniversary of Dr Sun's birth.
Other officiating guests for the opening ceremony included the Vice-Chairman of the National Committee, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Mr Tung Chee-hwa, the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Gao Siren, the Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR, Mr Ming Junfu, the Deputy Director-General of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Mr Tong Mingkang, and the Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr Patrick Ho Chi-ping.
Converted from Kom Tong Hall, the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum is a four-storey building with a floor area of 2,560 square metres. There are two permanent exhibition galleries, one staging "Dr Sun Yat-sen and Modern China" and the other, "Hong Kong in Dr Sun Yat-sen's Time", to illustrate the history of Dr Sun and the role of Hong Kong in modern Chinese history.
With support from relevant organisations and individuals in Mainland, Taiwan, overseas and Hong Kong, the museum has assembled valuable relics and artifacts to enrich the exhibition contents. They include Guan Jingliang's marriage certificate bearing the name of Dr Sun Yat-sen as a witness, and a seal of "Long Live the Republic of China".
Other important relics include Dr Sun's accessories in his early years, announcement of election results of his provisional presidency, imperial edict of abdication of Emperor Xuantong, and Dr Sun's inscription to Huang Xing. Invaluable items that are showcased for the first time after many years include Dr Sun's answer sheet at an examination in the HongKong College of Medicine for Chinese, a dinner menu of the College's graduation ceremony, as well as a reply letter from Stewart Lockhart, Colonial Secretary of the Hong Kong Government, to Dr Sun Yat-sen on the latter's banishment.
The museum also has a thematic exhibition and lecture hall, reading room, video rooms, interactive study rooms and activity room for organising special exhibitions and various activities. It also provides a wide range of services and education progammes including audio-guide, school lectures, educational DVDs and travelling exhibition panels.
The museum has a special ticketing arrangement during the first few months of its opening. Visitors to the museum from now until March 31, 2007, have to buy the tickets through the Urban Ticketing System (URBTIX) within 7 days before the scheduled visit. Admission time-slots are 10am, 11.30am, 1pm, 2.30pm and 4pm. Additional time-slot at 5.30pm will be available on Sunday and public holidays.
This special arrangement is also applicable to those who wish to get free tickets for admission on Wednesdays and other free admission days. Each person is eligible for four tickets on a first-come-first-served basis.
For group of 20 visitors or above, reservation can be made three months the earliest and two weeks the latest, prior to the day of visit. Please call 3580 6767 or 3580 6780 for group reservation.
The Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum is located at 7 Castle Road in Central. Visitors can use the mid-level escalator from Central to Caine Road, and walk around five minutes to the museum. Public transportation accessible to Caine Road includes bus numbers 3B, 12, 12M, 13, 23, 23A, 23B, 40, 40M and 103.
It opens from 10am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. On Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year's Eve, the museum will close at 5pm. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Chinese New Year. Admission is $10, a half-price concession is available to full-time students, senior citizens and people with disabilities and $7 per person for groups of 20 persons or above. Free admission is available on every Wednesday, the anniversaries of Dr Sun's birth (November 12) and death (March 12).
For more details about the museum, please visit its website at http://hk.drsunyatsen.museum/ or call 2367 6373.
Ends/Monday, December 11, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:15
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