Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Guangzhou)

The Sun Yat-sen or Zhongshan Memorial Hall is an octagon-shaped building in Guangzhou, capital of China's Guangdong Province. The hall was designed by Lu Yanzhi and was built with funds raised by local and overseas Chinese people in memory of Sun Yat-sen. Construction work commenced in 1929 and completed in 1931. The hall is a large octagonal structure with a span of 71 metres (233 ft) without pillars, housing a large stage and seats 3,240 people.

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
中山纪念堂
23°08′06″N 113°15′54″E
LocationGuangzhou, Guangdong, China
TypeMemorial
MaterialSteel and Concrete
Height49 m (161 ft)
Beginning date1929
Completion dateOctober, 1931
Dedicated toSun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Simplified Chinese中山纪念堂
Traditional Chinese中山紀念堂

History

The memorial hall stands on the site of Guangzhou's Presidential Palace during the Constitutional Protection Movement, when the Nationalists operated a rival "Chinese" government to the Zhili Clique's Beijing regime. The palace was damaged during Ye Ju's 16 June 1922 attack on Sun Yat-sen, during which—though he had already fled—his wife narrowly escaped shelling and rifle fire before meeting him[1] on the gunboat Yongfeng,[2] where they were joined by Chiang Kai-shek.[3] The hall itself has been severely damaged and repaired several times until 1998, when it was comprehensively upgraded to its present-day condition. A statue of Sun Yat-sen was erected in front of the main entrance.

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall depicted on the reverse of a 1931 Kwangtung Provincial Bank 1 Dollar Banknote.

Transportation

The memorial hall is accessible from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station of Guangzhou Metro.

See also

References
  1. Pakula (2009), p. 95–97.
  2. "CPC History in Pictures: Nationalist Revolution", CPC Encyclopedia, China Daily, 3 August 2011.
  3. Beck (2007).

Bibliography
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