After preparatory work undertaken by the Hong Kong Museum of History, the museum opened to the public on 12 December 2006 to commemorate the 140th birthday of the influential Chinese statesman Sun Yat-sen. Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese revolutionary statesman who had an instrumental role in the overthrowing of the Qing dynasty during the 1911 Revolution and the founding of the Republic of China.

He established the headquarters of the Revive China Society in Hong Kong in 1894, and regarded the city as an important revolutionary base.

[citation needed] During the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941, the Hall was used by the British Air Raid Precaution Association as an emergency station.

[3] The Hall remained the residence of Ho's descendants until 1959, when a rich merchant surnamed Cheng (or Chang)[a] purchased the building.

It soon became apparent that a vacant lot would yield a far higher amount than if the property were sold intact,[citation needed] and the Church considered demolishing the building.

However, after hearing concerns raised by friends in the community, and a series of negotiations with the Hong Kong Government, Church officials reached a consensus in selling the property intact and preserving the building.

Sun had never set foot at Kom Tong Hall,[citation needed] but he was related to the original owner of the premises, Ho Kom-tong, in other ways.

For instance, Jardine's involvement in the Kowloon-Canton Railway, a project designed to bring Canton into Britain's sphere of influence, was very much at cross purposes with the nationalist ideals of Sun, who very much wanted to maintain the territorial integrity of China.

[citation needed] When Sun left Shanghai for Guangzhou via Hong Kong, he called at Ho Tung's house on 18 February 1923.

[10] The Hall features red brick walls, granite dressings around the windows and doors, and ornate ironwork on the balconies.

[8] Internally, the Hall is richly decorated with classical architectural features in the Baroque and Rococo styles: a grand staircase with carved wooden railings and ornamental balustrading runs from the basement to the second floor, the ceilings of the main rooms are ornately adorned with moulded plaster panels highlighted in gold leaf, while colourful stained-glass windows presenting Art Nouveau patterns of the period can be found along the main staircase and in other prominent locations.

[3] Relics and artifacts on display include Kwan King-leung's marriage certificate, bearing Sun's name as a witness, and a seal of "Long Live the Republic of China".