Jiannan Building Complex

Jiannan Building Complex

The Jiannan Building Complex consists of five structures: Chengyi Building, Nan’an Building, Jiannan Auditorium, Nanguang Building, and Chengzhi Building. Constructed between 1951 and 1954, Chengyi Building originally housed the Biology Museum, Nan’an Building the Chemistry Museum, Jiannan Building served as the university auditorium, Nanguang Building the Physics Museum, and Chengzhi Building the library. Renovations were carried out between 2000 and 2003.

Tan Kah Kee never sought to immortalize his own name when founding schools, but he always cherished the support and sponsorship from others. Mr. Lee Kong Chian provided long-term and dedicated funding to Xiamen University, which is why the naming of both the Furong Building Complex and the Jiannan Building Complex is closely associated with him. Lee Kong Chian was originally from Furong Township in Nan’an, Fujian, hence the names Furong Building Complex and Nan’an Building. The names “Chengyi” and “Chengzhi” were derived from the names of relatives of Lee Kong Chian. Meanwhile, the Jiannan Auditorium echoes the Fuk Nan Auditorium of Jimei School—the two together represent “Southern Fujian,” symbolizing that Xiamen University and Jimei School are the educational hubs of southern Fujian.

The Jiannan Building Complex is built on a hillside and arranged in a semi-circular formation along the contour of the land, facing the Shangxian Sports Stadium to the south, hence it is also known as the Shangxian Building Complex. Ships entering the Xiamen sea area can spot this majestic complex from afar. At the center stands the Jiannan Auditorium, an edifice in traditional Chinese style, flanked by four Western-style buildings. Chengyi Building, Nan’an Building, Nanguang Building, and Chengzhi Building share largely identical structures and layouts—all are three-story buildings with interior corridor plans, built with stone and wood structures. Their walls are constructed from granite strips, and the floors consist of wooden frameworks topped with red clay bricks. The roofs are double-pitched, covered with red machine-made flat tiles. Gable walls feature arched windows, and corner pillars are decorated with the “stone-in-brick” technique. The floor areas of the four buildings are 5,710 m², 4,614 m², 4,518 m², and 3,848 m² respectively. The front part of the Jiannan Auditorium is a gate tower, while the rear is the main auditorium hall, both built with a stone and wood structure. The gate tower has four stories and covers a floor area of 5,578 m². Its roof features a double-eaved, hip-and-gable roof with upturned corners, the ridges ending in swallowtail shapes, and is covered with green glazed tiles. The gable walls and eaves are adorned with traditional Southern Fujian grey relief carvings, clay sculptures, and intricately carved wooden pendant decorations. The first-floor entrance hall is supported by four Western-style columns, behind which lies a three-bay hall constructed from granite, with finely carved bluestone “door lintels” embedded in the facade. The hall is fitted with three sets of purple-red double doors. The auditorium itself is single-story, with a Western-style double-pitched roof covered in red machine-made flat tiles. This building complex represents a masterpiece and iconic example of the “Jiageng architectural style,” and is also a landmark structure of Xiamen University.