Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Thanks to diwali we had an extra day off in Singapore and we decided to explore parts of the island we have not been to. First stop was the HDB Gallery next to Toa Payoh MRT but unfortunately it was closed on public holidays (how strange if it’s a museum for the public?). So we searched online to see if there is anything interesting nearby and the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Museum popped up. Well, I know my Chinese history and was aware that the founding father of modern China had been all around Asia and Southeast Asia fundraising and campaigning for his revolution. What I didn’t know was that he had left footprints right in the middle of Novena. It seems all the more peculiar as we approached the museum as it is now surrounded by a lot of condos.
The museum turns out to be the mansion of a local Chinese businessman Teo Eng Hoc who was supportive of Dr. Sun’s cause, it was originally built for Teo’s aging mother as her old-​age abode but later on became the headquarter of Dr Sun’s secret society, the Chinese United League (tongmenghui) as Teo became actively involved in Dr Sun’s underground resistance movement. Come to think about it, it’s actually pretty cool — it’s a secret brotherhood of underground resistance movements. Who says Singapore is sterile?
Now the mansion is converted into a small museum about Dr Sun’s revolutionary activities, particularly in this part of the world. Putting aside the history, the house itself is a lovely structure with a nice garden. I also got myself a very cute souvenir — a Dr Sun Yat Sen USB, which will serve to remind me all the sacrifices that went into building a modern China. I also got hold of a bunch of brochures about the heritage sites around the Baleistier area. It’s a brand new perspective to the Novena area as I always thought this area is just condo after condo. If you are interested to see Singapore beyond the glizy bars, MBS and the Merlion, I encourage you to come check out this side of the island. Oh and on my way out, I saw a golden shiny Burmese Buddhist temple right next to the museum so I am definitely coming back to this area to check out all the remaining sites of interest. The website of the museum is pretty informative — they actually have a section on places to eat around Baleistier so I guess you can turn this into a full-​fledged heritage tour of baleistier.