Introduction

This year marks the centenary of the 1911 Revolution, the epoch-making event that had far reaching consequences for the fate of the Chinese people. It brought an end to imperial rule in China and also represented the birth of Asia’s first republic. A hugely important milestone on China’s road to modernisation, it is also of remarkable significance for the development of global politics.

The first decade of the 20th century was a time of great upheaval in China. Revolutionary currents were never far from the surface as reformists and reactionaries struggled to gain the upper hand in the Qing government. After the war with the Eight-Nation Alliance, the Empress Dowager Cixi was finally persuaded to launch a series of political, economic, military and educational reforms. However, two policies announced by the Qing court in May 1911 – the formation of a new ‘imperial cabinet’ and the nationalisation of the railways – caused huge public resentment and drove many people to the revolutionary cause. The success of the Wuchang Uprising on 10 October 1911 started a chain reaction, and in less than two months 14 out of the 18 provinces within China’s main borders had declared independence. The imperial regime had been overthrown and replaced by a republican system, signifying a new era of modern China.

Events and Activities

The Road to 1911: A Visual History
 
This exhibition provides an insight into the origins of modern China through 86 photographs dating from the 1860s to the early 1920s. These photographs were brought together from collections worldwide by Liu Heung Shing, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo-journalist. They offer a fascinating window into the social conditions and attitudes of the era, the atmosphere inside the imperial court in the final years of the Qing Dynasty, the lives of the mighty and the poor, and the events that helped shape the transition of China from an empire to a republic. (Guided tours available. Please click here for details.)
 
Dates: 30 August – 4 October 2011
Venue: University Museum and Art Gallery
Enquiry: +852 2241 5500
Details >>

"In Search of the Ideal Nation - Dr Sun Yat-sen and Guangzhou after the 1911 Revolution" Exhibition
 
Showcasing around 100 exhibits drawn from the collections of the Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen’s Mansion in Guangzhou and the Hong Kong Museum of History, this exhibition introduces Dr Sun’s (1866 – 1925) three attempts to set up a government in Guangzhou.
 
Dates: 30 September 2011 – 28 March 2012
Venue: Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum
Enquiry: +852 2367 6373
Details >>

1911 Revolution in China: Francis Stafford's Photo Exhibition
 
The exhibition will display some 60 photos depicting people’s lives in the late Qing and early Republican periods, and the combat between the revolutionary and imperial armies before and after the 1911 Revolution.
 
Dates: 5 – 14 October 2011
Venue: Foyer, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Enquiry: +852 2367 6373
Details >>

Dr. Sun Yat-sen
 
Premiere Opera Dr Sun Yat-sen, commissioned by Opera Hong Kong (OHK) and presented by Leisure and Cultural Services Department in association with OHK and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, this opera was created to mark the Centenary of Xinhai Revolution and to salute to Dr Sun.
 
Dates: 13 – 16 October 2011
Venue: Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Enquiry: +852 2268 7321 (Leisure and Cultural Service Department) / +852 2234 0303(Opera Hong Kong)
Details >>
Places of Interest

Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum
 
The Museum gives a comprehensive overview of the life and career of Dr Sun, and Hong Kong's vital role in the reform movements and revolutionary activities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
 
Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum Guided Tour
Join this guided tour at Museum (Every Saturday 3:30-4:30pm for English guided tour), tracing activities and landmarks during Dr Sun Yat-sen's stay in Hong Kong.
 
Location: Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, 7 Castle Road, Central District, Hong Kong Island
How to get there: MTR Central Station Exit D2. Walk along Queen's Road Central to take the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator to Caine Road, turn right and walk westwards for around 5 minutes.
Enquiry: +852 2367 6373
Details >>
The exterior of Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum
(Source: Leisure and Cultural Services Department)

Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park
 
Near where Dr Sun Yat-sen used to meet Hong Kong with his confederates to plot the revolution lies a park – the first in Hong Kong to be named after Dr Sun, a revolutionary pioneer in modern China.
The park which lies next to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre also contains a statue of Dr Sun and is built on reclaimed land. The story goes that when Dr Sun was forced out of Hong Kong by the British colonial government, he could only meet his friends and supporters aboard a boat at the present location of park.
 
Location: Eastern Street North, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong Island (Next to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre)
How to get there: MTR Sheung Wan Station Exit D, turn right and walk westwards for about 10 minutes; or take a tram to Kennedy Town (alight at Eastern Street Stop), from Eastern Street pedestrian flyover walk about 5 minutes to the Park.
Enquiry: +852 2540 9704
Details >>
Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park
(Source: Leisure and Cultural Services Department)
More to Explore

Dr Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail
 
The Central and Western Districts on Hong Kong Island was the place where Dr Sun Yat-sen studied, attended religious services, lived and met with fellow revolutionaries. The Dr Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail highlights Dr Sun's close relationship with Hong Kong by way of introducing his activities in the territory. Check for the information plaques erected along the Trail.
 
Enquiry: +852 2189 2819 / +852 2852 3441 (Central and Western District Office)
Details >>
(Source: Central and Western District Office)

Cultural Heritage Route related to China's 1911 Revolution
 
The route recommends sites that are related to Dr Sun Yat-sen and other important figures in the Revolution.
 
Enquiry: +852 2835 2353 / +852 2835 2354 (Home Affairs Department)
Details >>
Castle Peak Farm
(Source: Home Affairs Department)

Centenary of Xinhai Revolution Stamp Collection
 
This special stamp issue commemorates historical significance of Xinhai Revolution with a creative newspaper layout.
 
Issue Date: 10th October 2011
Enquiry: +852 2785 5711 (Hong Kong Post Philatelic Bureau Hotline)
Details >>
Centenary of Xinhai Revolution Stamp Collection
(Source: Hongkong Post)


Social Bookmarks