Penang honours Sun Yat Sen with historic tamarind tree planting
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state government has planted a tamarind tree in conjunction with the commemoration of the 160th birth anniversary of Chinese revolutionary leader Dr Sun Yat Sen.
The tree was grown from the historic tree he planted at his ancestral home in Cuiheng Village, Zhongshan, Guangdong, more than 143 years ago.
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Penang tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the original tamarind tree was listed as a nationally protected Grade I ancient tree in China’s Compendium of Ancient and Famous Trees in 2006.
“This tree is not merely a botanical specimen but a living witness to Dr Sun Yat Sen’s early revolutionary journey. It symbolises resilience, patriotism, peace and friendship,” he said during the tree-planting ceremony on Saturday morning (July 4).
Wong added that the planting resonated with history, celebrated more than a century of friendship, and symbolised the continuation of shared cultural heritage between Penang and China.
Chinese Consul General in Penang Zhou Youbin said the sapling, propagated from the century-old tree planted by Dr Sun, had now taken root in Penang, where the revolutionary leader once united overseas Chinese in support of China’s democratic revolution.
“As the century-old tree sends forth new shoots, may our hearts across mountains and seas look together towards the future,” he said, adding that the tree symbolised the deep-rooted friendship between China and Malaysia.
The tree was planted at Armenian Street Park, opposite the Sun Yat Sen Museum at 120 Armenian Street, which served as Dr Sun’s Southeast Asian revolutionary headquarters in 1910.
It was in Penang that he convened the historic Penang Conference, launched the fundraising campaign for the Huanghuagang Uprising, and founded the Chinese media outlet Kwong Wah Yit Poh.
Dr Sun visited Penang a total of six times between 1905 and 1911, transforming the island into one of the Tongmenghui’s (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance) most important overseas bases.
During those visits, he rallied support among the overseas Chinese community, raised funds, and planned revolutionary activities that contributed to the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, which overthrew the Qing dynasty and led to the establishment of the Republic of China.
Penang Island mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said the tamarind, also known as asam jawa, is a staple ingredient in Malay, Indian and Peranakan cuisine, making the sapling “a blend of a monumental global legacy and the everyday flavours of Penang heritage”.
Dr Sun’s great-grandniece Alexandra Sun, founder and chairman of the Sun Yat Sen Cultural Foundation and a descendant of Dr Sun’s elder brother, Sun Mei, brought three saplings to Malaysia.
She said the tamarind tree saplings represent a living legacy of Dr Sun Yat Sen’s ideas of “Universal Compassion” and “Great Harmony”, which she described as traditional core values of Chinese civilisation that remain relevant today.
Sun Yat Sen Museum director Khoo Salma Nasution said two would be planted in Penang, while the third would go to Ipoh on July 7 during the launch of the Perak Sun Yat Sen Centre.
The tree-planting ceremony forms part of the commemorations marking Dr Sun Yat Sen’s 160th birth anniversary and was jointly organised by the Sun Yat Sen Museum, Penang Heritage Trust, Penang Tourist Guides Association, and the Chung Shan Wooi Koon Association.
During the event, Sun also launched Salma’s book titled Sun Yat Sen and the Asian Nationalists, praising it as “the first time anyone has ever attempted to assemble such a book” that traces Dr Sun’s influence across Asia.
Students from Nanjing presented Sun with wutong leaves that were gathered from the Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum.
The tree-planting event precedes the relaunch of the Penang Sun Yat Sen Heritage Trail, which traces key sites linked to his revolutionary activities in George Town. The relaunch took place yesterday (July 5) at the Chung Shan Wooi Koon Association, 30 King Street.
Among those present at the tree-planting event were Penang Heritage Trust president Clement Liang, chairman and senior lecturer of the History Section at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Humanities, Dr Tan Chee Seng, Du Yangmei and representatives from the Nanjing Normal University WuTong Youth Charity Organisation, Datuk Seri Dr Yee Thiam Sun, and representatives of the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
