Birthplace of Dr. Sun Yat-sen

2009/11/282022/11/24 Prof Ron birthplace, China, Cuiheng, culture, Guangdong, history, museum, Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, tourism, Travel, Zhongshan, Zhuihai

In the south of Guangdong Province, not far from Macau, is a small village by the name of Cuiheng. I had taken a bus to Zuihui, the bustling new economic development zone just over the river from Macau. From there it is possible to take a local city bus for 45 minutes to Cuiheng and an excellent museum commemorating the life of Sun Zhongshan. In fact, a city and surrounding prefecture (which includes Cuiheng), now carries the name Zhongshan which means Great Mountain.

The museum commemorating Sun’s revolutionary and political career has been constructed next to the Sun family home and features furnishings from more than a hundred years ago. Adjacent buildings are also preserved creating some semblance of village life from the late 1800s.

The day I was there, few tourists were on hand so it was possible to take a couple hours to view everything at a leisurely pace. The museum itself is a lovely structure, with a stately charm befitting one of China’s foremost heroes. Once can follow a chronology of events from Sun Yat-sen’s life: starting with his life abroad, his attempts to rally support for overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, and the early years of the Republic. Excellent English translations are available at every point.