Sun Yat-sen’s Ancestral Hometown Memorial Hall in Zhongba, Zijin

Sun Yat-sen’s Ancestral Hometown Memorial Hall in Zhongba, Zijin

Located in Sunwupai Village, Facang Village, Zhongba Town, approximately 21 kilometers northeast of Zijin County and 1 kilometer from Zhongba Town, this memorial hall was originally the ancestral temple of the Sun clan, the earliest ancestors of Sun Yat-sen to settle in Guangdong. Built during the Qing Dynasty and renovated during the Republic of China period, the structure features three bays in width and depth, is constructed of brick and wood, and covers a construction area of 782 square meters. The memorial hall was established in the 31st year of the Republic of China (1942), and its exhibits were restored in 1986 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen’s birth. Qu Wu, then Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, inscribed the name “Sun Yat-sen’s Ancestral Hometown Memorial Hall in Zhongba, Zijin.” In November 1995, the memorial was listed as a patriotic education base in Heyuan City. Exhibits inside include: the nameplate of “Zhongshan Middle School,” written in April 1944 by Sun Ke, son of Sun Yat-sen and then President of the Executive Yuan of the Nationalist Government; an inscription by Chen Shuying, wife of Sun Ke, in May 1983 stating “The Father of the Nation was a Hakka, his hometown is in Zijin”; the nameplate of “Zhongshan Memorial Primary School,” written in September 1985 by Qu Wu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; a congratulatory telegram sent in November 1986 by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang to the Sun Clan Preparatory Group in Sunwupai, Zhongba (Zijin)—the ancestral hometown of Sun Yat-sen—for holding the 120th Anniversary of Sun Yat-sen’s Birth Conference, as well as a bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen; in April 1999, inscriptions handwritten by Sun Zhigang, Sun Yat-sen’s direct grandson, including “Memorial Hall of Mr. Sun Wen’s Ancestral Hometown” and “My grandfather Sun Wen’s ancestral hometown is in Zijin,” along with display charts and a collection of cultural relics and historical materials.

The ancestral site in Sunwupai, Facang, Zhongba preserves the ancestral temples of the first and second generations of the Sun clan upon their entry into Guangdong, the tomb of Sun Yousong—the founding ancestor of the Sun clan in Zhongba, Zijin (located in T’a’a Village, Zhongba Town, renovated in August 1716, the 55th year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty), and the tomb of his wife Luo Basbang (located in Facang Village, Zhongba Town, renovated in 1765, the 30th year of the Qianlong reign in the Qing Dynasty). In June 1987, the Zijin County Government listed the tombs of Sun Yousong and Luo Basbang, along with the Sun Yat-sen Ancestral Hometown Memorial Hall in Zhongba, as part of the second batch of county-level key cultural relic protection units. Additionally, Zhongba No. 2 Middle School (founded in September 1990) was renamed “Qingling Middle School” in May 1993, with the school name inscribed by then Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Both “Zhongshan Middle School” and “Qingling Middle School” have become notable landmarks. On September 8, 2003, Dr. Sun Sui-fang, granddaughter of Sun Yat-sen, visited Zhongba Town in Zijin County to trace her roots, leaving inscriptions such as “Tracing the Roots” and “Promoting Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Spirit of Universal Love and Erudition.” On May 20, 2005, a delegation from the Soong Ching Ling Foundation visited and inspected the ancestral sites of Sun Yat-sen. In 2007, the Zijin County Government invested 1 million yuan to complete land acquisition and demolition work for the first-generation ancestral home of Sun Yat-sen; on March 23, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sun Yat-sen Ancestral Hometown Memorial Hall was held at the original site of the ancestral temple of the first-generation Sun clan to enter Guangdong, with attendees including Dr. Sun Sui-fang, granddaughter of Sun Yat-sen, and her son Wang Zuyao, who came specially from the United States, as well as relevant provincial, municipal, and county leaders. In June 2013, the Zijin County Government invested 1.2 million yuan to construct the first-generation ancestral home of Sun Yat-sen’s forebears upon their entry into Guangdong.

Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), whose given name was Wen, courtesy name Zaizhi, art names Jixin and Yixian, childhood name Dixiang, and alias Zhongshanqiao, often used Zhongshan as his name. He was born into a farming family in Cuiheng Village, Xiangshan County (now Zhongshan City), Guangdong Province. During his youth, he was influenced by the tradition of struggle among the people of Guangdong and admired the revolutionary cause of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He was a pioneer of China’s modern nationalist and democratic revolution, a great forerunner of China’s democratic revolution, the founder of the Republic of China and the Chinese Kuomintang, an advocate of the Three Principles of the People, and the creator of the Five-Power Constitution. He was the first to raise the banner of thorough anti-feudalism... More details about Sun Yat-sen ++