The Gao Lishi House

The Gao Lishi House

Also known as the Gao Lishi House, it is located at No. 313 in the northeast area of Sun Yat-sen University, on Magangding. This exquisite building was constructed in 1927 as a residence donated by American Dr. Gao Lishi to Dr. Lin Anda of Lingnan University. It once served as the residence of Professor Xia Shuzhang, the pioneer of Chinese public administration and the “father of China’s MPA program.”

The Gao Lishi House is a three-story structure with an additional basement. The total floor area is 517.56 square meters, with the first floor covering 256.84 square meters. Although it has suffered from corrosion, alterations, and damage over the years, the building remains largely intact. Later, it was restored with funding from the university and Ms. Yang Xueji from Hong Kong.

With its rustic red brick exterior and gray brick interior, complemented by stylish Western-style windows and doors, and topped with green glazed tiles adorned with delicate upturned eaves and animal ornaments, this is the Gao Lishi House (also called the Gao Shi House) at No. 313 in the northeast area. It currently serves as offices and teaching facilities for the Department of Psychology. The four elegant running regular script copper characters “心理学系” (Department of Psychology) mounted on the right side of the main entrance are exquisitely crafted, with strokes that flow lightly yet remain firmly in place. The signature “Lu Yiyan” is inscribed on the left.

The Gao Lishi House was donated by American Dr. J.A. Coles (Gao Lishi), intended as the residence for Dr. Andrew H. Woods (Lin Anda), who had served as the Lingnan University Medical Officer (1898–1907) and later as Vice President (1911–1916). Completed in 1913, it is among the first buildings in China to integrate the essence of both Chinese and Western architectural structures and decorative styles. Former presidents of Sun Yat-sen University such as Li Jia Ren, anthropologist Liang Zhaotao, and public administration scholar Xia Shuzhang all once lived in this building. In May 2001, after being designated as the office and teaching building for the Department of Psychology, a two-year restoration project for this historic building commenced. It was officially reopened on June 15, 2003, during the department’s second anniversary celebration, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the building’s completion.

In August 2002, it was approved by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture as a Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit. It now serves as the office building for Sun Yat-sen University’s Yat-sen College and as a study space for students.