Luk Yau Hall

Luk Yau Hall

Southwest of Jat Sen Hall, at No. 565 in the Northwest Area, stands another grand and elegant building that blends Chinese and Western architectural styles—Luk Yau Hall. The wooden plaque under the eaves on the northern side of the building has long been weathered and its inscriptions are barely legible, making it difficult for visitors to identify the hall’s name. However, in the university archives, we actually discovered the handwritten inscriptions by two esteemed elders, which is an honor not bestowed upon any other buildings. Both calligraphers infused their work with the artistic intent of “melding the essence of metal and stone into brush strokes”: Mr. Yung Kwai’s inscription is in regular script, upright and vigorous; Mr. Shang Chengzuo’s is in small seal script, retaining an ancient charm. Observations suggest that the current wooden plaque originally featured Mr. Shang’s calligraphy.

The name “Luk Yau” comes from the ancestor of the benefactor who funded the construction of the building. Brothers Wong Yung-cheung and Wong Yung-hong donated 60,000 dollars to build student dormitories at Lingnan University in memory of their ancestor, Mr. Wong Luk Yau. The shortfall from the actual construction cost of 110,000 dollars was covered by the “Students’ Fundraising Foundation.” Originally called the “Third Student Dormitory,” it corresponds to the “First Student Dormitory” (Java Hall) and the “Second Student Dormitory” (Wing Kwong Hall).

Luk Yau Hall was originally used by the Department of Electronics under the Faculty of Information Science and Technology and is now used by the Physics Experimental Teaching Centre of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The eastern entrance arch of the building once featured a stone plaque inscribed in cursive script with the words “Department of Electronics,” but it has since been covered by a computer-engraved bronze plate reading “Luk Yau Hall.” Although written in seal script, it lacks the original elegance.

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