Activities commemorating centenary of China’s

Home Affairs Bureau

“Centenary of Xinhai Revolution” commemorative stamps.

CHINA’S 1911 Revolution (also known as the Xinhai Revolution), which overthrew the Qing Government and thousands years of monarchy, was a watershed in modern Chinese history.

2011 marks the centenary of China’s 1911 “Feng Yu Heng Xie” drama show Revolution. A number of bureaus and departments, cum guided tour of historical sites including the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB), Education The Education Bureau featured a drama Bureau, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, show cum guided tour of historical sites of 1911 Home Affairs Department, Hongkong Post, Radio Revolution entitled “Feng Yu Heng Xie” on March Television and Efficiency Unit, as well as 12, 2011. The project incorporated elements various community, youth and cultural organisations, of drama, literature and historical field studies, have arranged various kinds of activities to assisting teachers through learning and teaching commemorate the centenary of the Revolution activities in order to stimulate students’ interest and to enhance public understanding of its historic in history, raise their language proficiency and significance. enhance national education. A learning and teaching resource package that included a script of A wide range of activities, including large- the drama, video record, route map of the historical scale exhibitions, talks, seminars, cultural shows, trail and activity samples was also produced. opera, drama, heritage tours and exchanges with the Mainland have been launched since last “4·23 World Book Day” in 2011 — September and will continue until early 2012. Some Creative competition on “Modern of the activities organised by relevant bureaus and China” departments are highlighted below. Hong Kong Public Libraries organised “4·23 “Centenary of China’s 1911 World Book Day Creative Competition” with the Revolution” exhibition theme “Modern China” to stimulate the interest of youths in reading about Chinese history. This school- Held at the Hong Kong Museum of History wide competition was supported by the Education from March 2 to May 16, 2011, this exhibition Bureau. It was also one of the -Hong showcased priceless artefacts on loan from the Kong joint library collaborations and exchange cultural institutes of Hubei Province, where the , the first uprising of China’s Guests viewing the Winning Entries Exhibition for 1911 Revolution, broke out. Supplemented with a “4·23 World Book Day Creative Competition”. number of historical photos and video programmes, the exhibition gave visitors a better understanding of the Mainland’s transformation from the late Qing to early Republican periods, the background of the 1911 Revolution, as well as Hong Kong’s contribution to the success of the Revolution. 18 programmes. Shenzhen’s libraries organised creative competitions under the same theme. Winning competition entries from both Hong Kong and Shenzhen were showcased at libraries in the two cities. An exhibition of Hong Kong’s winning entries will also be held at the Hong Kong Book Fair this year.

“Hong Kong 1911 — Giant Puppet Parade and Performance” “Hong Kong 1911 — Giant Puppet Parade A still from the “Feng Yu Heng Xie” drama show with characters expressing and Performance” is based on the epic poetic their various opinions on revolution. movement theatre “The Centenary of An Uprising”, depicting the changes and development in Hong Do you know: Kong over the past century. The programme will Who the “Four Desperados” were? take place along the Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail and The “Four Desperados” were Sun Yat-sen, the Central and Western District Heritage Trail from Chen Shaobai, Yau Lit and Yang Heling. In 1887, July to October 2011. Dr Sun began his studies at the College of Medicine “Centenary of Xinhai Revolution” for Chinese in Hong Kong. While in Hong Kong, commemorative stamps he met frequently with Chen Shaobai, Yau Lit and Yang Heling to discuss the revolution. Since the Hongkong Post will issue a set of four stamps conservative masses regarded revolution as treason and a stamp sheetlet to commemorate the centenary and heresy, they were thus nicknamed the “Four of the Xinhai Revolution on October 10, 2011. Desperados”. This stamp issue will commemorate this significant historical event with a creative newspaper layout. What is the only remaining historic building in Hong Kong with solid evidence of having “Dr Sun Yat-sen” opera a direct connection with the revolutionary “Dr Sun Yat-sen” is a new opera specially movement under the leadership of commissioned for the 100th anniversary of the Sun Yat-sen and his compatriots? 1911 Revolution, telling the story of the legendary The fortified structure at No. 55 Ha Pak Nai in revolutionist, his virtues and his love story, in the Yuen Long is the only remaining historic building in characteristic style of Western opera. The opera is Hong Kong with solid evidence of having a direct produced by Opera Hong Kong. Chinese composer, connection with the revolutionary movement under Huang Ruo, and local playwright, Chong Mui-ngam, the leadership of Sun Yat-sen and his compatriots. were commissioned to write the music and libretto Built around 1910 by Deng Yinnan, a core member respectively. Directed by Chen Xinyi, a veteran of Xingzhonghui, it was one of the bases for director of the Mainland, the production features the revolutionaries. The fortified structure is a a cast of internationally renowned Chinese singers two-storey rectangular structure built of grey bricks. including Warren Mok, Wei Song, He Hui, Nancy Architecturally, it is in essence a functional structure Yuen, Liang Ning and Yang Guang in the lead roles. for surveillance. It was declared a monument The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, under the baton in 2011. of Yan Huichang, will participate. The performance will take place at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Sun Yat-sen’s names from October 13 to 16, 2011. Sun Yat-sen was also called Sun Deming, Sun Dixiang and Sun Wen. When he was baptised as Details of commemorative activities organised by a Christian in Hong Kong in 1883, he adopted the the Government and other organisations are listed name “Sun Rixin”, from which the name “Sun on HAB’s dedicated webpage (http://www.hab.gov. Yixian” (“Sun Yat-sen” in Cantonese) originated. hk/xinhai100). In March this year, HAB also organised When staying in Japan in 1897, he used the alias the production of a promotional pamphlet to Nakayama Sho, with Nakayama read as Zhongshan. publicise these activities. Copies of the booklet can After that, the name Sun Zhongshan spread far and be obtained at various locations in the 18 districts. wide among the Chinese communities. 19