You're in one of the most hidden corners of Central. Notice how you got here: through narrow alleys opening in several directions. It was no accident that the conspirators chose this place.

1The literary society

In the early 1890s, Yeung Ku-wan and Tse Tsan-tai founded the Furen Literary Society here. Behind that innocent name they debated forbidden ideas: ending the Qing dynasty and founding a republic. In 1895 they joined Sun Yat-sen's Revive China Society and planned an uprising in Canton that failed; in 1900 they tried again in Huizhou, also without success.

2The Gage Street murder

Yeung Ku-wan returned to Hong Kong and taught English at his home at 52 Gage Street, a few metres away. On 10 January 1901, at dusk, a man shot him while he was teaching, with his young son on his lap. He died the next day. His comrades blamed an agent sent by the Qing authorities.

His grave, in the Happy Valley cemetery, is engraved with nothing but the number 6348: he himself asked that his name be left off to keep it from being desecrated.

A nephew later claimed the killing was a personal vendetta rather than a political act. Sun Yat-sen's letter of condolence is reproduced in the park.

3What to look for

  • The queue-cutting sculpture, a symbol of the break with the Qing.
  • Sun Yat-sen's letter reproduced on panels.
  • The escape alleys, perfect for a quick getaway.

Documented

Yeung Ku-wan, president of the Hong Kong chapter of the Revive China Society, was shot on 10 January 1901 at 52 Gage Street and buried in a grave marked with the number 6348.

Sources and credits

Urban Renewal Authority, «Pak Tsz Lane Park»; Home Affairs Department, «Dr Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail»; Tse Tsan-tai, «The Chinese Republic: Secret History of the Revolution» (1924).

Photos:

  • Small Pak Tsz Lane Park with black steel pergolas, trees and benches between residential buildings: Cypp0847, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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