A Honolulu park honoring the man referred to as 'the father of modern China' will officially reopen next week after a $1 million renovation.
The City and County of Honolulu held a blessing ceremony at the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park Monday.
The half acre park is located at the corner of Bethel and Hotel streets. The city partnered with neighboring Hawaiʻi Theatre Center in 2015 to spruce up the park.
Improvements include the installation of a wrought iron fence, removal of an old pump building and the addition of new landscaping.
In addition, the Yat-sen statue, sculpted by Chu Tat Shing and gifted to the park in 2007, has been refurbished and moved towards the center.
The artwork depicts Sun as a 13-year old boy — the age he arrived from China to attend ʻIolani School in Honolulu.
To celebrate the reopening, a free concert event is scheduled for Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m.
