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The exhibition "A Sketch of Soong Ching Ling and Her Artefacts" at the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, which has attracted more than 40,000 visitors since its opening on March 20, will be extended to July 15. Members of the public should not miss the last opportunity to visit the exhibition.
The exhibition is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, and co-organised by the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum and The Residence of Soong Ching Ling, Honorary President of the People's Republic of China.
The 70 exhibits on display vividly tell the love story of Madam Soong Ching Ling (1893-1981) and Dr Sun Yat-sen and provide a glimpse of Soong's legendary life. On loan from the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, the valuable exhibits are shown in Hong Kong for the first time. They include the wedding gift from Madam Soong's mother, the pen Dr Sun used to sign his will and Dr Sun's family testaments, the wedding gift given by Dr Sun to Madam Soong, the clothes worn by Madam Soong during her exile and during the Sino-Japanese War as well as the last pyjamas that she ever wore. These artefacts will be displayed along with a number of historical pictures.
After graduating from Wesleyan College in the US in 1913, Madam Soong reunited with her family in Japan and later took over from her sister Soong Ailing as Dr Sun Yat-sen's secretary. Despite fierce opposition from her family, she married Dr Sun in Japan on October 25, 1915. She stood by Dr Sun through thick and thin and for better or worse throughout the revolutionary years. She was not only Dr Sun's most reliable assistant, but also a faithful companion and a comrade-in-arms.
After Dr Sun Yat-sen's death in Beijing on March 12, 1925, Madam Soong insisted on carrying out her late husband's "Three Principles of the People" and the three cardinal policies of "allying with the USSR, allying with (Chinese) Communists, and helping peasants and workers." From 1927 to 1931, Madam Soong lived in the Soviet Union and Europe, where she spent her time conducting research and exploring possible directions for China's revolutionary future.
When Japan invaded China in 1930s, Madam Soong called for the establishment of an anti-Japanese national united front. In 1938, she founded the China Defence League in Hong Kong and garnered international support for China's war against Japanese invasion. She was also active in raising funds for wartime relief. After the war, Madam Soong renamed the China Defence League the China Welfare Institute and conducted pioneering work on cultural education and social services for the women and children of China.
After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, Madam Soong held various high positions in the government, including Vice-Chairman of the Central People's Government, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Vice-President of the People's Republic of China and Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. She was conferred the title of Honorary President of the People's Republic of China on May 16, 1981.
The Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum is at 7 Castle Road, Mid-levels, Central, Hong Kong. It opens from 10am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays). Admission fee is $10 with a half-price concession for full-time students, people with disabilities and senior citizens aged 60 or above. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
For details, please visit the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum's website at (hk.drsunyatsen.museum) or call 2367 6373.
Ends/Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:25
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