Dr. Sun Yat-sen arrived in San Francisco in 1904, embarking on his journey in the United States for the promotion of his revolutionary ideas. Of particular importance was Dr. Sun's encouragement of the Chinese Christians in building up the country's national strength and happiness by pursuing Christian educational ideas. Having inherited the values of Christian Higher Education, Hong Kong Baptist University has strived to meet the expectation of Dr. Sun Yat-sen on the Chinese Christians. This is especially the case for the History Department, which is privileged to shoulder the responsibility of promoting the Sun Yat-sen studies and publicizing Dr. Sun's revolutionary ideals.
In 2004, Dr. Tan Siu Lin made a large donation to Hong Kong Baptist University in the name of the Luen Thai Holdings Limited. Being a generous donor, Dr. Tan has actively supported the research on Dr. Sun Yat-sen conducted by the History Department through continuous large donations in the name of Luen Thai Group, Tan Siu Lin Foundation and Sun Yat-sen Educational and Charity Foundation. This has enabled the History Department to become one of the leading authorities on Sun Yat-sen studies in Hong Kong. In 2009, Hong Kong Baptist University and Luen Thai Group reached mutual agreement on the setting up of the Sun Yat-sen Research Fund with the donation made in 2004. Interest revenue generated from the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Research Fund per year will be used for academic event organization, scholarly research and publication, relating to the promotion of Sun Yat-sen studies. This marks the official establishment of the Research on Sun Yat-sen project.
Timeline
2009﹕ "Dr Sun Yat-sen Research Fund" of the Department of History, Hong Kong Baptist University established
2010﹕ "The Influence of the Modernization of Sun Yat-sen Ideology on Current Politico-economic Relations in Greater China" Symposium
2011﹕ "International Conference on the Centenary of the China's 1911 Revolution"
2012﹕ "Sun Yat-sen and Relations Across Taiwan Straits" Symposium
2014﹕ "Sun Yat-sen: His Era and People" Symposium in Commemoration of the 95th Anniversary of the May Fourth Movement
2015﹕ Commencement of the Research project "Sun Yat-sen Parks in the World"
2016﹕
2017﹕
2018﹕ An International Forum on Sun Yat-sen Studies
2020﹕ "History in Images: Pictorial Representations of Sun Yat-sen in Newspapers beyond China since the late 19th Century" Exhibition
2020﹕ Commencement of the Research project "Sun Yat-sen Roads in the World"
2021﹕
2022﹕
2023: "Sun Yat-sen First Day Cover" launched