Authorities in this southern city opened a museum on Saturday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution, or the Xinhai Revolution.

The 1911 Revolution began on Oct 10, 1911, the year called Xinhai in the traditional Chinese way of numbering years.

The Guangzhou Xinhai Revolution Museum, with an investment of 319 million yuan ($50 million), is a special national museum built to commemorate the revolution, led by Sun Yat-sen, that toppled the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) with an armed uprising and helped establish a republican government in China.

The museum is located on Changzhou Island of Huangpu district, Guangzhou, which is also the home to the Whampoa Military Academy and many historical and cultural relics, such as the Monument of the Northern Expedition and the Changzhou Gun Emplacement.

The museum joins Changzhou Island, the Huanghuagang Mausoleum and the Guangzhou Uprising Museum to comprise an architectural complex to showcase China's modern revolutionary history.

The museum covers a total area of 18,000 square meters and includes 6,350 square meters of exhibition area, 1,000 square meters of selected materials, 1,800 square meters of technical and operational office sections and 2,000 square meters of visitor service and supporting facility sections.

With the support of people from all circles of life, the museum has collected some 6,600 historical relics that are of high value to reflect the revolution and Sun Yat-sen's life.

The museum opened free of charge to visitors on Saturday afternoon.

"I haven't studied the course of the revolution in school," said Chen Zhihua, a primary school student in Guangzhou. "But now I have learned a lot about the important history after visiting the museum."

Authorities in Wuhan, the capital of Central China's Hubei province, where the 1911 Revolution started, opened a similar museum on Saturday, showcasing more than 900 items and nearly 700 photos on the epoch-making event.

Also, President Hu Jintao will deliver a keynote speech at a Beijing ceremony to commemorate the anniversary on Sunday in the Great Hall of the People, the Xinhua News Agency said.