Zhang Bishi Hall

Zhang Bishi Hall

“Zhang Bishi Hall” was built with donations from Mr. Zhang Bishi, a renowned historical figure in China, a prominent businessman known as a “Red-Topped Merchant,” and the founder of Changyu Wine Company in Yantai, Shandong. It is primarily a school for overseas Chinese, funded mainly by Mrs. Zhu Lanzhi, the wife of the overseas Chinese Zhang Bishi, and their son Zhang Zhijun. In accordance with the donors’ wishes, it was named “Zhang Bishi Hall.” Construction began in 1921, and it is a four-story building (including the basement).

Zhang Bishi Hall currently houses the School of Sociology and Anthropology at Sun Yat-sen University (it was previously the university’s Archives).

In his later years, Mr. Zhang Bishi took great interest in Lingnan University (later renamed Sun Yat-sen University), the top academic institution in his hometown. He had long hoped to donate funds to build a school building that could serve as a place where overseas Chinese children in Southeast Asia could study Chinese. In 1916, Mr. Zhang Bishi unfortunately passed away. In accordance with his will, his wife Zhu Lanzhi and son Zhang Zhijun donated 70,000 silver dollars, invited Edmunds—former president of the American Institute of Architects—to design the building, and completed this four-story structure in 1921. It was named “Zhang Bishi Hall” by Sun Yat-sen University.

Nestled among the towering king palm trees, Zhang Bishi Hall sits quietly in a corner of the central area of the campus. The original main entrance has been sealed off, and access is now from the east side of the building. On the southern facade, there is an embedded white vertical stone plaque. In the center of the plaque, the characters “Zhang Bishi Hall” are engraved in small seal script—elegant, classic, and with a lingering artistic charm. At the upper right of the plaque is inscribed “Autumn, September, 1981,” while the lower left bears a running script signature “Shang Chengzuo” along with the elder Shang’s seal, with the character “Cheng” showing slight signs of fading.

The construction costs of Zhang Bishi Hall were mainly covered by donations from Mrs. Zhu Lanzhi, wife of Zhang Bishi, and their son Zhang Zhijun, in accordance with Mr. Zhang Bishi’s last wishes. Additionally, 11 other individuals donated amounts reaching 1,000 yuan and were commemorated within the hall. This hall bears the name “Zhang Bishi” because Zhang Bishi, an overseas Chinese from Indonesia, actively supported the revolutionary movement led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, enthusiastically donated for education, and made a bequest in his later years to support Lingnan University. After Mr. Zhang Bishi’s death, his wife and son built this building in his name. It was designed by Edmunds, former president of the American Institute of Architects, and completed in 1921.

Red walls and green tiles blend Chinese and Western architectural styles. Have you noticed? The image used on the cover of the slipcase for the book Kang Le Hong Lou (The Red Buildings of Happiness), edited by Professor Yu Zhi and published by the Commercial Press in Hong Kong, was taken from the side of the east gate of this hall. Stepping away from the ordinary, and viewing from another angle, the bricks and greenery are outlined by light and shadow, showcasing the exquisite scenery of Kang Le Yuan (the Garden of Happiness).

Among the architectural heritage of Sun Yat-sen University, “Zhang Bishi Hall” is the earliest completed independently funded building named solely after a Chinese individual. It is now listed as a “Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.”

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