Former Site of the Astronomical Observatory at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou

Former Site of the Astronomical Observatory at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou

The former site of the Astronomical Observatory at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Guangdong Province.

The astronomical observatory heritage site of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou during the Republican era consists of both old and new locations. The old observatory is situated at No. 125 Yuexiu Middle Road in present-day Guangzhou. The new observatory is located on the campus of South China University of Technology in Shipai. In 1926, Sun Yat-sen University, then located on Yuexiu Road, established a Department of Mathematics and Astronomy. The following February, an observatory was built within the university grounds on Yuexiu Road, and it was completed in June 1929. Its main instruments included a French-made astronomical standard clock, a 15 cm meridian circle, a 20 cm reflecting telescope, a German-made equatorial mount, and various meteorological instruments. In addition to serving astronomical teaching and research, this observatory also undertook part of the national astronomical observation work. Since most of the world’s renowned observatories were located at latitudes above 40°N at the time, and this observatory was situated at over 20°N, it allowed celestial observations from a different perspective, thus playing an important role in both astronomical science and education. The ground section of the observatory is a rectangular two-story building facing south with a northern orientation, featuring dozens of steps at the front. To the east of the building is a connected hexagonal three-story tower. The underground section includes a cellar. In the autumn of 1935, the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy at Sun Yat-sen University moved to the new campus in Shipai, where a new observatory was constructed atop a high hill within the new campus and completed in 1938. It was four times the size of the old observatory, resembling an ancient European castle in appearance, and offered a panoramic view of the entire campus from its top. It officially came into use in 1946. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, during the 1953 institutional adjustment, Sun Yat-sen University relocated to Kang Le in Henan. Both the new and old observatories have been preserved to this day.

In June 1989, the People's Government of Guangdong Province designated it as a cultural relics protection unit.

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