Nanjing Jiangnan Naval Academy

Nanjing Jiangnan Naval Academy

The Jiangnan Naval Academy covers an area of over 1,000 square meters. It was built in the 16th year of the Guangxu reign (1890).

The academy was a military school established by the Qing government during the Self-Strengthening Movement as a base for training scientific and technological talent. The school offered three departments: navigation, marine engineering, and torpedoes, with about 120 students per term, and most instructors were British. Courses included English, mechanics, navigation, and astronomy.

In April 1898, 18-year-old Lu Xun enrolled in the marine engineering department of the academy. In November of the same year, dissatisfied with the unhealthy atmosphere of the school, he angrily withdrew. After the Xinhai Revolution, the Jiangnan Naval Academy was closed and repurposed as the office of the Navy Department. It later served as the site for the Naval Officers School, the Nationalist Government Navy Department, the Navy Headquarters, and other institutions. Today, surviving structures include the Superintendent’s Building, the British Instructors’ Office Building, and the gate of the Nationalist Government Navy Department.

In the west of Nanjing, near Yijiang Gate, stands a uniquely styled Western-style archway. This is the site of the Jiangnan Naval Academy, known as the cradle of China’s navy. Built in the 16th year of the Guangxu reign (1890), it was established by Zhang Zhidong to rival the naval academy founded by Li Hongzhang’s Beiyang Fleet on Liugong Island. It was a military school set up by the Qing government during the Self-Strengthening Movement as a base for training scientific and technological talent. The school offered three departments: navigation, marine engineering, and torpedoes, with about 120 students per term, and most instructors were British. Courses included English, mechanics, navigation, and astronomy. At the time, the two pillars of the main gate bore inscriptions: one read “Pillar of the Nation,” the other “Elevating the Noble,” eight characters that reflect the mindset of the founders.

Historical records indicate that in April 1898, 18-year-old Lu Xun enrolled in the marine engineering department of the academy. In November of the same year, dissatisfied with the unhealthy atmosphere of the school, he angrily withdrew. After the Xinhai Revolution, the academy was closed and repurposed as the office of the Navy Department, later serving as the site for the Naval Officers School, the Nationalist Government Navy Department, the Navy Headquarters, and other institutions.

- The government reconstructed the academy’s main gate, using a six-tiered reinforced concrete archway structure with a spire over 10 meters high, topped with a flagpole. During post-WWII renovations, aside from removing some decorative elements from the center and changing the “Navy Department” lettering to vertical script, the structure remained largely unchanged. The wording is still faintly visible today. A pair of stone lions guards the entrance, standing proudly as before. Additionally, a pair of stone lions in front of the Navy Department office building were relocated here after liberation from Fayun Temple at Sanchahe.

The site is now located at No. 346 Zhongshan North Road, Nanjing, covering an area of over 1,000 square meters. The surviving buildings include some in traditional Chinese architectural style with grand roof designs, such as: the original second gate and the subsequent second hall, now commonly referred to as the entrance hall; the curved-roof sedan hall, which is a long corridor leading to what is now called the second hall; the double-story office building for the Superintendent (principal) and the Tiaodian (academic dean), with a warm room downstairs, the east side being the Superintendent’s office and the west side the Tiaodian’s office; and the post-Republic-era Navy Department office building, which houses offices such as the Navy Commander’s Office and the Chief of Staff’s Office.

The entire structure features intricate carvings and vivid colored paintings, extending through four courtyards, making for a rather spectacular sight. Among these, the second gate, sedan hall, and double-story office building were reconstructed in 1989 at a cost of 600,000 yuan by the Nanjing Shipborne Radar Research Institute, restoring them to their original design with slight height adjustments. Another section, located to the east of the second gate hall, consists of a two-story Western-style building that originally served as the office for British instructors such as Panromero. After multiple renovations, the original appearance has been well preserved. These areas total 900 square meters and have been listed as provincial-level cultural heritage protection units. Other original buildings of the Jiangnan Naval Academy have been completely lost.

Address: No. 346 Zhongshan North Road, Gulou District, Nanjing

Type: Historical Architecture

Recommended Visiting Time: About 30 minutes

Opening Hours:

Currently the office of CSIC 724 Institute in Nanjing; not open to the public.