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  Dr Sun & 1911 Revolution

Lifestory Revolution
in China
Support
in Singapore
Visits to Singapore Support
in Malaya
Spiritual Legacy 3 Women Threat of the Royalists

Dr Sun's Visits To Singapore
 
1st Visit
Miyazaki Toten
Summer 1900, Miyazaki Toten came to Singapore to visit Kang Youwei who was staying at Qiu Shuyuan's residence. Kang thought Miyazaki was here to assassinate him and reported him to the local colonial government. Miyazaki was thus arrested. 

On notification of his arrest, Dr Sun rushed to Singapore on September 7 1900 from Saigon to rescue him but instead, Sun got arrested too. Fortunately, with the intercession of his friends, Huang Kangqu, Wu Jiemo and especially Prof. Lim Boon Keng (who was a classmate of Sun in Hong Kong), they were released. Sun had the chance to explain Miyazaki's intentions to the governor of the Straits Settlements and that the Hong Kong dollars that Miyazaki brought were for the revolution in China. 

Miyazaki was banned from entering Singapore permanently whereas Sun was banned for 5 years.

2nd Visit
On June 11 1905, from Marseille, France, Dr Sun boarded the steamship Tonkin to Japan. Enroute, he stopped at Singapore where he got acquainted with Tan, Teo and Lim through Wang Lie. Wang sent a request to the Customs department for permission for Dr Sun touch on Singapore soil. His request was approved and Dr Sun stayed at Little Paradise where he discussed the revolution with the trio. Dr Sun pointed out that overseas students in Europe have already set up revolutionary organisations and there will be one in Japan soon. He advised Wang Lie, Tan, Teo and Lim to prepare for the Singapore branch. This meeting signalled the beginning of the support Sun will receive from Nanyang. In his first letter to Tan after his departure, he expressed that the time was ripe for a concerted effort to revolt. He urged Tan and the rest to form a revolutionary group in Singapore.

3rd Visit  
In early April 1906, Sun came to Singapore from Marseille, France. He was greeted by Tan Chor Nam, Lim Nee Soon and Teo Eng Hock upon his arrival. As his 5-year ban from entering Singapore had been lifted, he could stay in Singapore and was put up at Teo Eng Hock's Wan Qing Yuan (Villa of Twilight Serenity). That April 6, Dr Sun formed the Revolutionary Alliance Singapore chapter with the villa as its working address. Its first members were Tan, Teo and Li Zhuchi. The swearing-in ceremony was held on the second floor of the villa. After the ceremony, Dr Sun explained the Three Principles of the People to his comrades. He said, "I hope the Revolutionary Alliance to develop into a huge organisation. Our responsibility is to sacrifice. To what level? We can't say. Even we have sacrificed till there were two men left, the alliance is still considered to be in existence." "The motto of the Singapore Revolutionary Alliance is to "expel the Tartars, restore China, establish a Republic and equalise land rights", exactly the same as the headquarters."

4th Visit
Wan Qing Yuan in 1906
In 1906, membership of the Singapore faction ballooned to 400 people from the initial 12, increasing the clout of the Alliance overnight. In mid-1906, Dr Sun and Hu Hanmin arrived in Singapore and recognised the need for the alliance to be expanded. Hu was asked to draft the constitution of the Alliance, and convened a meeting at the villa for a second election. This time round, Teo was chairperson and Tan was vice-chairperson and head of finance. Lim was in charge of social affairs, Xie Xinzhun and Li Zixiao took care of clerical duties.

5th Visit  
In March 1907, Dr Sun came to Singapore for an inspection visit.

6th Visit  
Chinese Revolutionary Alliance members from all parts of SE Asia gathered in Singapore in 1908.
After the failure of "Zhennanguan Uprising", the Qing authorities stepped up investigations on Dr Sun in Annam. Dr Sun had no choice but to move to Singapore. On March 7 1908, Dr Sun reached Singapore. His movements were kept secret to escape detection by the Qing assassins. The Qing government requested the Straits Settlements government to expel Dr Sun. The governor interrogated Dr Sun but did not deport him.

In October 1908, Dr Sun went to Singapore from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) to expand the revolution's reach. Wang Zhaoming, Hu Hanmin and others arrived to aid him. They went to various parts of Southeast Asia such as Malaya and Indonesia to publicise the cause. At this point, the Revolutionary Alliance had more than 20 branches with a total membership of more than 3000 people. Southeast Asia had the most number of branches and Nanyang was closest to its Tokyo headquarters. Hence, Dr Sun decided to make Singapore the nerve centre of his Southeast Asian revolutionary activities. Dr Sun wrote to Deng Zeru of Malaya, informing him of the news that Singapore was now the regional headquarters.


7th Visit  
On July 11 1910, Dr Sun arrived in Singapore. To adapt to the changing face of the revolution, Dr Sun decided to re-organise the duties of the alliance, re-edit the alliance's mission statement and base it on the revised constitution used by the Revolutionary Alliance branches in America and Hawaii. After outlining his plans to his Singapore comrades, he left with his family for Penang.

8th Visit  
General Homer Lea
After the success of the Wuchang Uprising on October 10 1911, Dr Sun returned to China from France on a British steamship - P & O Devanha. On December 16, the ship stopped over at Singapore after Penang. Deng Zeru secretly boarded the ship in Singapore to meet Dr Sun. Dr Sun revealed to Deng the reason for his long stay in Europe. Dr Sun had to destroy the monetary support that the Qing government was receiving from European banks, and to obtain loans for the maintenance of the infant republic. To rebuild China, she will need at least $500 million. They parted soon after as time was limited. Dr Sun came ashore to greet Tan Chor Nam, Teo Eng Hock, Lim Nee Soon, He Xintian, Yin Xuecun, Qiu Guowa,Tan Bu Lieh and others. Dr Sun and his military strategist General Homer Lea stayed over at Tan Bu Lieh's mansion (Golden Bell Residence). This was Dr Sun's final visit to Singapore. On January 1 1912, Dr Sun was inaugurated First Provisional President of the Republic of China in Nanjing.

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Places Dr Sun Visited in Singapore 
(a graphical representation)
 

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Tree of the Martyrs  

The villa's only companion - a deep-rooted tree that played witness to all the events connected to the revolution that occurred during the tumultuous period when Dr Sun Yat Sen resided at the villa and used it as a key South-east Asian base of the Revolutionary Alliance (Tongmenghui). 
"The Tree of the Martyrs"

The tree was already standing tall when Dr Sun first stayed at the villa in 1906. It observed how Dr Sun led numerous red-blooded Chinese men in the planning of several uprisings against the Qing government. Brilliant examples include the Zhennanguan and Huanggang uprisings. At the villa, Dr Sun and his comrades planned many revolutionary activities such as the supply of bomb explosives to the revolutionary force in China, the publication of anti-Qing propaganda materials and fundraising drives.

The imposing old tree has also encountered many revolutionaries who were comrades of Dr Sun. These include revolutionary fighters from China, Singapore, Malaya, Indonesia, Thailand, Annam (Vietnam) and other parts of Nanyang: Huang Xing, Hu Hanmin, Wang Jingwei, Zhang Xu, Dai Jitao, Liao Zhongkai, He Xiangning, Sun Ke, Lin Sen, Zhu Zhixin, Zou Lu, Chen Cuifen, Chen He, Gu Yingfen and Wang Lie from China; Teo Eng Hock, Tan Chor Nam and Lim Nee Soon from Singapore; Goh Say Eng, Chen Xinzheng and Huang Jinqing from Penang; Lee Guan Swee, Zheng Luosheng, Ou Shengang, Li Xiaozhang, Liang Shennan, Huang Yiyi from Ipoh; Lu Qiuxia from Kuantan; Zheng Shaoping from Port Klang; Lu Wenhui from Taiping; Yang Shaodong from Kampar; Shen Hongbo and Li Yuxi from Malacca; Deng Zeru from Seremban's Kuala Pilah; and Loke Chow Kit, Loke Chow Thye, Chan Chim Mooi and Too Nam from Kuala Lumpur. 

The famous revolutionary, Wen Shengcai, had also spent some time at the Sun Yat Sen Villa before he left for China to assassinate a Qing government official. Perak members of the famous Yellow Flower Mound 72 Martyrs such as Yu Dongxiong (Eu Tong Sen's cousin), Guo Jimei and Chen Jingyue have all stayed at the villa when they visited Singapore en route to China. The villa was also used as a refuge for revolutionaries being pursued by the Qing government after each unsuccessful uprising. The tree was witness to all these political intrigues. 

During Dr Sun Yat Sen's stay in Singapore, he was constantly under surveillance by the British colonial government, as well as spies from the Qing government. The tree watched these scenes from its vantage point quietly. A true onlooker to all the events that happened from 1906 to 1911, the tree experienced the glory and grief that came with each uprising Dr Sun Yat Sen and his comrades planned. 

When the tree is cut, what we see trickling from the wound is sap as red as the blood of the martyrs who gave their lives for the revolutionary cause. The tree embodies the spirit of the martyrs, which is both inspiring and worthy of admiration. Over the years, to commemorate this undying revolutionary spirit, some people named this great tree "The Tree of the Martyrs" (烈士树). 

In 1996, the Singapore Botanical Gardens identified this tree as an Angsana tree and estimated its age to be more than a hundred years old. The tree, now exhibited at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall (晚晴园-孙中山南洋纪念馆), is expected to survive for many years to come.

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Dr Sun's Favourite Fruits  

Dr Sun had six favourite tropical fruits. He had to have them whenever he visited Singapore. They are, mangosteen, pineapple, banana (pisang mas), jambu, chiku and little mangoes that come in a bunch. If you look closer, these fruits all have a cooling or neutral effect when eaten. Dr Sun was a medical doctor who knew how to keep himself in good health. He could not afford to fall ill as he had to conduct fundraising and lecture tours constantly for the revolution. 

Life at Wan Qing Yuan

According to Teo Eng Hock's memoirs, Dr Sun's daily life at Wan Qing Yuan was most interesting.

Dr Sun, extreme left, with friends at Wan Qing Yuan

"Dr Sun was a quiet man. He was always optimistic, never sighed and showed no signs of despondence."

"He loved reading, either holding the book in his hand or putting it on the desk. He always returned the book to its original place after reading it. Every book he bought must be covered with paper to keep it clean. His books were systematically classified so that they could be found easily whenever they were required. When reading a newspaper, he would first read the headline news, then those of less importance and then the local news. After reading the newspapers, he always folded them back neatly and never scattered the sheets around."

"He liked to buy new books, particularly books on history, geography, political science, economics, military science, philosophy and Chinese classics. But he did not like novels, music or painting. He had never been heard humming a song. He liked to play Chinese chess though."

"He rose early everyday, usually at 6am or some time before 7am. He would then tidy up his own bed. He never asked for the services of a servant."

"In Nanyang, it is summer throughout the year. He would never put on his pyjamas before nightfall. Before going to bed he must take a bath. He never talked to a person while lying on bed. He preferred to sit in a chair which could swivel. All his comrades used to show respect for this chair and never dared to sit in it themselves. At the dining table, he preferred chopsticks to knife and fork. He liked vegetables, was a non smoker, never touched wine and never gambled."

"He used to read letters after reading the newspapers early in the morning and replied them after breakfast. He would never leave any letter unanswered. He wrote every word carefully in its correct form. Even a short note, it must be sent in an addressed envelope."

"He was thrifty. He often put on socks with patches. He liked to wear white canvas shoes which must be powdered once a day. He preferred clothes made of cotton. He found the workmanship of the tailor shop "Lee Lung Chang" most satisfactory. Each time he came to Singapore, he went there to make new clothes or mend old ones. The owner of the shop, Lee Ling Shee later joined the Revolutionary Alliance."

"He used to converse in Cantonese or Mandarin, but not in English unless he was compelled to do so."

"He didn't have a bad temper. When he was annoyed with his servant Chen Ruhe (Chen He), he would say, 'Oh that boisterous Ho!' (´óÅÚºÍ) in half jest. And he rarely did so."

"Dr Sun was a Christian, but he seldom attended church services. Sometimes he even took no notice of Christmas or the New Year."

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