Former Site of the Main Campus of Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences

Former Site of the Main Campus of Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences

The main building of the former Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences campus is located on Zhongshan 2nd Road, within the current Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences. Construction began in the winter of 1916 and was completed in March 1918. It served as the new campus and affiliated hospital facilities for the Private Guangdong Public Medical College, which was founded in the spring of 1909. Before relocating, the school was situated at the intersection of Chao Yin Street and Chang Di in Guangzhou, renting space in a Congregational Church building for its campus, while the affiliated hospital was housed in Tian Hai Lou on Chang Di. After moving to the new site at Bai Zi Gang, the current front section of the library served as the school building, and the current office building was the affiliated hospital. In 1924, the Private Guangdong Public Medical College was renamed Guangdong Public Medical University. In June 1925, it was incorporated into Guangdong University and became the Medical Department of Guangdong University. In 1926, the Medical Department of Guangdong University was renamed the Medical School of Sun Yat-sen University. In August 1953, the Medical School of Sun Yat-sen University merged with the Medical School of Lingnan University to form South China Medical College. In August 1954, Guangdong Guanghua Medical College joined South China Medical College. In September 1956, it was renamed Guangzhou Medical College, in March 1957 it was called Sun Yat-sen Medical College, and in June 1985 it was renamed Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences.

The main building of the former Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences campus is one of the few remaining structures in Guangzhou from the early Republican period that showcases a blend of Chinese and Western architectural techniques and holds significant historical commemorative value. Having withstood nearly a century of trials and changes, the building has been relatively well preserved—an impressive feat. It bears witness to the historical evolution and development of early Western-style medical education institutions in the Lingnan region. It also reflects, from one perspective, Guangzhou’s role as China’s earliest open trading port, where modern Western medical education concepts and models were first introduced. Moreover, it highlights the enduring dedication of generations of faculty at Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences and its predecessor institutions to advancing the nation’s medical education. The main building was designated as a Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1999, enriching the university's cultural and patriotic educational resources, contributing to an enhanced environment for quality education, and adding unique charm to Guangzhou, a famous historical and cultural city with over 2,000 years of history.

Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), whose given name was Wen, courtesy name Zaizhi, and alias Jixin or Yixian, with the childhood name Dixiang and alias Zhongshan Qiao, often used "Zhongshan" as his name. He was born into a farming family in Cuiheng Village, Xiangshan County (now Zhongshan City), Guangdong Province. In his youth, influenced by the revolutionary traditions of the people of Guangdong, he admired the cause of the Taiping Rebellion. He was a pioneer of China's modern national democratic revolution, a great forerunner of China's democratic revolution, the founder of the Republic of China and the Kuomintang, an advocate of the Three Principles of the People, and the creator of the Five-Power Constitution. He was the first to raise the banner of complete opposition to feudalism... More details about Sun Yat-sen ++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units