Pak Tsz Lane Park () is a park in Central, Hong Kong, featuring a monument celebrating the late 19th-century revolutionary anti-Qing Dynasty activity of the members of the

Furen Literary Society The Furen Literary Society, also known as the Chinese Patriotic Mutual Improvement Association, or the 'Furen Cultural Society Restoration Association (Foo Yan Man Ser Kwong Fook Hui)', was founded in colonial Hong Kong in 1892. It was founded ...

and the Hong Kong chapter of the

Revive China Society The Revive China Society (), also known as the Society for Regenerating China or the Proper China Society was founded by Sun Yat-sen on 24 November 1894 to forward the goal of establishing prosperity for China and as a platform for future 19 ...

. Leading members of these societies were

Yeung Ku-wan Yeung Ku-wan (19 December 1861 – 11 January 1901) was a Chinese revolutionary of the late Qing dynasty. In 1890, Yeung started the Furen Literary Society in British Hong Kong to spread ideas of revolution against the Qing dynasty and to es ...

(President),

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...

and

Tse Tsan-tai Tse Tsan-tai ( zh, t=謝纘泰謝贊泰, p=Xiè Zàntài, sl=Je6 Juen2 Taai3; 16 May 1872 – 4 April 1938), courtesy name Sing-on (), art-named Hong-yu (), was an Australian Chinese revolutionary, active during the late Qing dynasty. Tse h ...

. The park is located in central Hong Kong, in a quiet square behind

Aberdeen Street Aberdeen Street ( zh, t=鴨巴甸街) is a border street dividing Sheung Wan and Central, Hong Kong, Central on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It ascends from Queen's Road Central to Caine Road in Mid-Levels. The street is named after Geor ...

Hollywood Road Hollywood Road ( Chinese: 荷李活道) is a street in Central and Sheung Wan, on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The street runs between Central and Sheung Wan, with Wyndham Street, Arbuthnot Road, Ladder Street, Upper Lascar Row, and Old Bai ...

Gage Street Gage Street () is a street in Central, Hong Kong. It is on the lower hill and between the junction with Cochrane Street and Lyndhurst Terrace, Graham Street and Aberdeen Street. The street is mainly a market. It is named after William Hall ...

and Peel Street. It is close to the rear of 52 Gage Street where the revolutionists met and where Yeung Ku-wan taught and was eventually assassinated by

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

agents. The Park can be approached by a number of narrow lanes, such as Sam Ka Lane (), and Pak Tsz Lane (), all of which afforded a number of possibilities for a quick get-away by the revolutionists, in case of action against them by either Qing agents or the Hong Kong police. The park was refurbished by the architecture firm Ronald Lu & Partners, who were also responsible for the design. The work was directed and financed ($HK 40 million) by the Hong Kong

Urban Renewal Authority The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) is a quasi-governmental, profit-making statutory body in Hong Kong responsible for accelerating urban redevelopment. History The authority's predecessor, the Land Development Corporation (土地發展� ...

.''

The Standard The Standard may refer to: Entertainment * The Standard (band), an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon * ''The Standard'' (novel), a 1934 novel by the Austrian writer Alexander Lernet-Holenia * ''The Standard'' (Tommy Flanagan album), 1980 * ...

'
"Revolution in air at 'hidden' Central garden"
, 27 September 2011 It was opened in May 2012, in time for the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade ...

Centenary anniversary in October 2011. It now comprises: * Information panels recounting the founding and history of the Furen Literary Society and details of the founding members. * An audio-visual commentary * A bronze sculpture of a Western-dressed man cutting the queue (pigtail) of a Chinese man dressed in traditional Manchu clothes, as a symbol of liberation from the Qing rule * In the pavement nearby are inscribed the tenets of the Furen Literary Society (in English) * Slatted panels displaying maps of

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

and

Huizhou Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in east-central Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Hey ...

indicating events during the rebellions organised in 1895 and 1900, respectively. * A slatted display of Sun Yat-sen's letter of condolence to Tse Tsan-tai, following the assassination of Yeung Kui-wan. * An educative game ased on a children's street gamewith time-lines of the actions of the Furen Literary Society leading to 3 discs fixed to a wall. Each disc has paired windows which, when the discs are turned, show paired photographs illustrating important events and actions by the early revolutionists. Also the remains can be seen of an old well, which, though unrelated to the history of the Furen Literary Society, has been preserved. Pak Tsz Lane is Stop 8 and the rear of 52 Gage Street is Stop 7 on the

Dr Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail The Dr Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail () was set up in November 1996 by the Central and Western District Council to commemorate the 130th birthday of Sun Yat-sen. It includes 16 spots in the areas of Central, Hong Kong, Central and Sheung Wan in Ho ...

. The latter stop is in one of the approach lanes to the Pak Tsz Lane Park. None of the explanations is in English. The lack of signposts, in adjacent streets, pointing to the park means that it can be easy to miss the park.

References

External links

* {{Parks in Hong Kong Central, Hong Kong Urban public parks and gardens in Hong Kong