Estrada do Repouso and Historical Memorial House of Kiang Wu Hospital

Kiang Wu Hospital is located at Estrada do Repouso, whose Portuguese name bears a different meaning from that of its Chinese counterpart. In Portuguese, the word “Repouso”implies that a mass grave had once existed nearby while in Chinese, the words“鏡湖”refers to the Kiang Wu Hospital, which began its construction in 1870 and was completed in 1872. Dr. Sun Yat-sen had served as a volunteer doctor of Western medicine in the Hospital in 1892. By today, the Hospital had transformed from a single-storeyed structure into a modernized medical complex with one of its building towering 17-storeys high. The medical complex began its construction in 1997 and was completed by 1999.

In the main hall of the Historical Memorial House of Kiang Wu Hospital, a plaque inscribed with“旨建坊”(construction of commemorative archway under imperial decree) is seen hung high on the wall. It was an expression of commendation, decreed to be made and erected in Macao by Emperor Guangxu of Qing dynasty to mark the meritorious services rendered for disaster relief in Mainland China by the group of gentries headed by Ho Sui Tin. The in-house exhibits include a handful of photos and historical records of Dr. Sun Yat-sen during his stay in Macao and a collection of loan statements and loan repayment statements related to his loan of money from the Hospital. Other displays reveal the spectrum of services offered by the Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association in the past, like gratuitous consultation, free medicine, funeral and burial service. There are also many tablets of gratitude gifted by beneficiaries on display too. In 1951, Gao Jainfu died of illness in Hospital Kiang Wu. His remains were buried in the Our Lady Mercy Cemetery at Avenida do Coronel Mesquita before relocated to Hong Kong.