The new Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum set to open in mid-December is unlikely to display the 'blue sky and white sun' Kuomintang flag because no such flag of 'special historical value' has been found, a government curator said yesterday. When asked at a Central and Western District Council meeting whether the controversial flag would be displayed, Museum of History chief curator Joseph Ting Sun-pao said no suitable flag had been found. Mr Ting said a description and interpretation of the flag would form part of the exhibition, but not the actual flag. He said the museum would emphasise the special historical value of the flag, and would display it if an authentic example was found. Councillors who asked the question of Mr Ting found his answer to be a tactful way of avoiding a potentially explosive issue. 'It's hard to criticise Mr Ting's answer. It's understandable that they didn't want to embarrass the government but then, he was avoiding a sensitive political subject,' said councillor Kam Nai-wai. 'But the reality is, Dr Sun founded Kuomintang.' The museum will charge HK$10 a ticket, but there will be free entry on Wednesdays and anniversaries associated with Sun. The museum cost HK$90.5 million to renovate and install the new exhibitions, which will be completed by the end of next month. A series of activities, such as seminars on Sun Yat-sen, will be held between January and March. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department expects the museum to attract a deluge of visitors at that time, but a department spokeswoman said because of Kom Tong Hall's capacity of just 300 people, an advance booking system with Urbtix had been set up. Tickets can be bought up to seven days in advance. The museum will contain two regular exhibits about Sun and China and Hong Kong during Sun's times. It will also feature a display on the history and renovation of Kom Tong Hall on Castle Road. A reading room, two video display rooms and an interactive learning centre will also be set up at the museum. The department will organise a series of activities from now until the museum's opening to celebrate the 140th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birth.
