A sign pointing to the grave of Madam Young, Sun Yat-sen’s mother, has been vandalised. The stone tablet inscribed with “Father of the nation Sun Yat-sen’s mother” was covered with dashes of red paint, with the word “nation” scratched.

President of Sun Yat-sen Institute, Lee Sung-wai, told HKFP that his friend spotted the damage to the century-old site on Monday during a hike in Fei Ngo Shan, Sai Kung.

Posted by Lee Sung Wai on Monday, 25 December 2017

Some of his friends are currently working on repairs, Lee said. He added that he will contact the police over the incident soon.

Sun led a revolution to overthrow the last Chinese imperial dynasty in 1911, a year after his mother’s death. It led to the founding of the Republic of China, which was defeated in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, leading the government to flee to Taiwan. Following the founding of the People’s Republic of China by the Communist Party, both governments claim to represent the entirety of China.

sun yat sen mother grave
Another sign pointing to the grave of Sun Yat-sen’s mother.

In a statement on behalf of the Institute, Lee condemned the vandalisation and called it “an insult to Dr. Sun”.

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Koel Chu is a second-year journalism and fine arts student at the University of Hong Kong. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Koel is interested in the arts and urban design. She interned at China Radio International in Beijing and, at her university, she also works as Vice-President of Branding and Marketing in AIESEC, the largest youth-run organisation in the world.