No.1 Rua de Silva Mendes was originally the residence of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's family in Macao. Many of his family members used to reside in the house, including his first wife - Lu Muzhen; his son - Sun Ke and Ke’s children; his daughter - Sun Wan and the family of her husband, Tai Ensai; the grandchildren of Dr. Sun's elder brother, Sun Mei. After Lu Muzhen's death in 1952, the house was converted into their memorial house in 1958 and has been used as such ever since.
According to the land registry, the property was located at no. 1 of the then Long Tin Village Street. Sun Ke registered one of its land plots in 1918. Sun Yat-sen had mentioned in his reply to Lu Muzhen, in June 1917, that Sun Ke had borrowed money to build the house[1] [2], which was, after its completion, used as the residence of Muzhen and her children when they were in Macao. In 1925, Ke registered the land plots adjacent to the house, and they formed the whole lot where the present building is situated[3]. In August 1931, the house – including its walls, doors, and windows – was seriously damaged by the explosion of the gunpowder magazine of the former Governor's residence in Jardim da Flora (Flora Garden)[4], and was therefore demolished and rebuilt by the end of 1931 by a contractor named Hó Cong Loi[5]. The new house was registered in December 1932[6], and the street in front of the house was renamed Rua de Silva Mendes in February 1933[7]. The new building, now no.1 Rua de Silva Mendes, with distinctive neo-arabic architecture and decoration, is very different from the original one.
From time to time, Sun Ke returned to Macao to visit his mother, Lu Muzhen, or sent his children to fulfil filial duty on his behalf. Notably in August 1947, Ke accompanied Muzhen to her hometown to celebrate her 82nd birthday (Note: Chinese people used to add 2 years to one’s actual birthday), which was a large-scale event[8]. Although Ke did not return to Macao since he migrated to Hong Kong and overseas in 1949, he mortgaged the house via his own name, or via his son as his proxy, to borrow money from 1950 to 1952[9]. Muzhen passed away in the house in September 1952, and in 1958 Sun Ke sold the property, which was converted in the same year into a venue introducing, with relevant exhibits, the life of Dr Sun Yat-sen and of his family.
No.1 Rua de Silva Mendes is a villa-style residence comprising a three-storey main building, ancillary buildings, and a garden. The main building, constructed with a reinforced concrete structure, has a symmetrical façade with semi-circular volumes protruding on both sides of the front elevation. A courtyard is enclosed by the main building and the ancillary buildings behind, with patios and corridors, and surrounded by walls outside the garden. There were wells in both the courtyard and the garden. A full-body bronze statue of Dr Sun Yat-sen is erected in the garden, and a plaque inscribed by Yu Youren hangs in front of the entrance. The appearance of the main building is rich in neo-arabic architectural and decorative elements, including those in the garden walls, columns, window frames, handrails, façade surfaces and metal and ironware, all of which feature foliage patterns. In the neo-arabic architectural style, the property is one of the few well-preserved and distinctive villa-style houses built in the first half of the twentieth century in Macao, a testament to its multi-cultural cityscape where different artistic characteristics shine with each other. The image of the building was once on the MOP10 note issued by BNU Macau.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen was a great forerunner of the revolution in China and had a close relationship with Macao, where Dr. Sun started to learn from the world, to offer political advice, to practise medicine, to nurture revolutionary ideas and to embark on the path of democracy. It was also the place where his first wife, children and other family members resided. As their long-time residence, no.1 Rua de Silva Mendes has the exterior and some of the furnishings that are still in their original state, making it an important link between Dr. Sun and Macao, as well as a key venue to commemorate his love for the motherland, his determination for revolution and his overthrowing of the imperial system.
[1] Sun Ke (1891-1973), also known as Sun Fo, courtesy name Zhesheng, was a native of Cuiheng Village, Xiangshan County, Guangdong Province, and the eldest son of Sun Yat-sen. Ke served as the President of the Examination Yuan, the Executive Yuan, and the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China. He returned to China to serve as the secretary of the Generalissimo Mansion in Guangzhou in 1917, and as the mayor of the city from 1921 to 1926. Regarding the source of funding for the construction of the house in 1917, there are different opinions, and it is not mentioned in Sun Ke’s book八十述略 (The Eighty Briefs). Besides the assumption that Sun Ke borrowed money for the house, many scholars also infer that it may be Sun Mei who bought the house, or that the house was given by Xu Chongzhi - according to Pan Yan - “About My Father-in-law”, 廣州文史資料：第28輯 (Guangzhou Literary and Historical Materials: 28th Series), Guangzhou: Guangdong People's Publishing House, March 1983.
[2] Liu Jushang, 盧太夫人慕貞事略 (About Lady Lu Muzhen), Review of Culture, Macao: published by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao, Winter 2011, the 81st Chinese edition, p.10. The source text referring to the construction of the house is translated as: “...hereby remit Shanghai tael $3,000 and apply for Hong Kong tael more than $3,000... The $2,000 borrowed by Ke from Mr Sun Zhixing for the construction of the house doesn't have to be returned from this source...It can be repaid from the money Ke would receive from Mr Zhu Zhuowen in a month or two..."
[3] Records from the Archives of Macao - File No. MO/AH/AC/SA/01/09267; and references to the property register of CRP (Land Registry Office).
[4] Quoted from the Chinese article "Ms Sun Suiying and Ms Sun Suihua Write to Commemorate Their Father, Sun Ke", an exhibit at the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial House, Macao. The original passage is translated as: "...Father is busy with his official duties, and from time to time, he sent us to Macao to fulfil his filial duty for our grandmother... In August 1930 (the original text is incorrect, as it should’ve been 1931), we went to Macao to celebrate our grandmother’s birthday. In the early hours of one morning, we were awoken by a loud noise, only to find our mosquito nets shattered into pieces and there seemed to be fireworks outside the windows. It turned out to be an explosion in the nearby arsenal, which affected our grandmother's house. Though it didn't collapse, the staircase was shaken a few inches away from the wall, and the steps were covered with glass shards. A newlywed couple in the neighbourhood died as their house was destroyed by the explosion. We rushed back to Hong Kong in our pyjamas, which our mother was shocked to see..."
[5] Quoted from the documents of DSSCU (Land and Urban Construction Bureau).
[6] Quoted from the property register of CRP (Land Registry Office).
[7] Cadastro Das Vias Públicas E Outros Lugares Da Cidade De Macau (Registration Of Public Roads And Other Places In The City Of Macau), Macao: Leal Senado, 1993, p.205.
[8] Va Kio Daily, 20-26 August 1947, p.3.
[9] Quoted from the property register of CRP (Land Registry Office).