The Red Building of Anhui University and the Former Site of Jingfu Academy

The Red Building of Anhui University and the Former Site of Jingfu Academy

The Red Building of Anhui University and the Former Site of Jingfu Academy is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Red Building of Anhui University and the Former Site of Jingfu Academy are located at No. 128 Linghu South Road, Daguan District, Anqing City, within the Linghu Campus of Anqing Normal University. The Red Building of Anhui University was built in July 1934 and completed in September 1935. It originally served as the main teaching building of the Provincial Anhui University during the Republican era. Entirely red in color, it is commonly known as the Anhui University Red Building, with a total construction area of 3,008 square meters. The former site of Jingfu Academy was built in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1897), consisting of a Qing-era architectural complex oriented from east to west. The surviving structures include the gate tower, corridors, and study rooms. The Red Building of Anhui University is a two-story brick-and-timber structure facing south with a sloped roof, red clay tiles, and red brick exterior walls. Its layout forms an inverted mountain shape. The main entrance is located in the center, featuring a Western-style clock tower and a mountain-shaped gate tower with exquisite carvings. The buildings of Jingfu Academy feature Huizhou-style architecture, constructed with brick and timber, and centered around a corridor as the main axis. The eastern end of the corridor originally housed the Grand Lecture Hall, which was demolished in 1983. On either side of the lecture hall were the Jingzheng Pavilion and the Zongru Shrine, both destroyed during Japanese air raids in the early stages of the War of Resistance. The surviving structures include the gate tower, corridor, and four rows of study rooms, with a total construction area of 937 square meters. During the Qing Dynasty, the provincial school Jingfu Academy was relocated here from the city to continue its educational mission, making it the largest and longest-running official academy in Anhui Province during the Qing era. Soon after, it was successively transformed into Anhui University Hall, Anhui Higher School, Anhui Military Preparatory School, and Anhui Public Law School, among others. From 1927 to 1938, the Anhui Provincial University was established here. In 1946, the National Anhui University was founded on this site.

The Red Building of Anhui University and the Former Site of Jingfu Academy bear witness to the development and evolution of higher education in Anhui during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, holding landmark significance in the history of higher education in Anhui.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) designated the Red Building of Anhui University and the Former Site of Jingfu Academy as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Protected Area: 5 meters to the east and west, and 10 meters to the south and north beyond the site.

Construction Control Zone: Beyond the protected area, extending west to Textile South Road, south to Linghu South Road, 40 meters north, and 50 meters east.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units