WITH new exhibits and a $1.2 million renovation, the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, in Balestier, re-opened on Saturday.

The historic 128-year-old house-turned museum was closed 18 months ago, in May last year.

Its foundation was strengthened and cracks on its walls patched.

Some new exhibits - showcasing the revolutionary activities of Dr Sun Yat Sen in Southeast Asia, or Nanyang, before he ended 267 years of Qing Dynasty rule and founded the Chinese republic in 1911 - have been added. Some exhibits were replaced.

The repairs were necessary to stop the foundation from sinking. Cracks on the walls were also spotted in late 2005, just four years after a major $7.5 million face-lift in 2001, when the two-storey building took on its present name.

Built in the 1880s, it was previously known as Wan Qing Yuan, and earlier as Bin Chan House. Its present owner is the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI).

Read the full story in tomorrow's edition of The Sunday Times.