Feature: Exhibition on Sun Yat Sen's family opens in Singapore

Many people may be familiar with Sun Yat Sen's role in China's 1911 revolution, but few are aware of the strong support from his family that was crucial to the success of the revolution, as well as his personal achievements.

Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall (SYSNMH) on Saturday shone spotlight on these unsung heroes with a special exhibition for the first time.

Themed Dr. Sun Yat Sen and His Family, the special exhibition is co-presented with Hong Kong Museum of History and Museum of Dr. Sun Yat Sen in Cuiheng Village, Guangdong province of China.

The exhibition, which will run until October 18, places a special focus on Sun's loved ones, their personal sacrifices and contributions made in support of his cause with 173 objects ranging from photographs and documents, to personal belongings of Sun and his family members.

Many of the objects are being presented in Singapore for the first time.

The exhibition spans the period from 1860s to 1970s, over three generations, telling a poignant story of strong family ties and the Suns' deep affection for one another.

Lesser-documented members of Sun's family are featured in this exhibition with multiple media. For instance, his elder brother, Sun Mei, who gave every penny he had, and eventually fell into bankruptcy, to fund Sun's revolutionary activities, and Sun's first wife Lu Muzhen, who devoted herself towards caring for his mother and daughters so that Sun could focus on his revolution efforts.

Tan Teng Phee, General Manager of the SYSNMH, said Sun's family and their strong support to Sun's revolution are often omitted in traditional history books, this exhibition goes beyond Sun Yat Sen 's milestone achievements to capture the human aspects of his life.

"We hope that visitors will be able to take away the understanding that behind these extraordinary acts, are ordinary people driven by hope and belief in a better future," Tan added.

For this special exhibition, SYSNMH introduced several interactive programs, suitable for visitors of different age groups, to provide a better gallery experience. For example, through a vivid family tree interactive program, visitors can learn and understand the appropriate Chinese forms of address for relatives within four generations.

Children may enjoy an educational farming game that was specially designed for the exhibition. Through the game, children can find out more about workings of a farm, the growth cycle of crops, and why the farm was important to Sun's family.

Ng San Tiong, Vice President of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Peter Sun, Sun Yat Sen's great-grandnephew participated in the official launch of the exhibition as guests of honor.

The exhibition was launched in conjunction with SYSNMH's Wan Qing Dumpling Festival, in which visitors can learn more about the origins of the Dragon Boat Festival by participating in glutinous rice dumpling making workshops, dragon "trolley walk" races as well as other activities. Endi