Early Buildings of Kangyuan Garden

Early Buildings of Kangyuan Garden

The Early Buildings of Kangyuan Garden are designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Sun Yat-sen University's Kangyuan Garden was once the residence of Xie Lingyun, a renowned poet from the Jin Dynasty known as the Duke of Kangle, after he was exiled. Blessed with beautiful scenery and abundant natural resources, the early buildings of Kangyuan Garden are the former site of Lingnan University, located in Kangyucun on Xingang West Road, Guangzhou. The university originated from the Canton Christian College, founded in the 14th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1888), which was a church school controlled by American Christians. Its original location was in present-day Shaji (now Liuer San Road). The school later relocated twice, and after moving to Macau, it was renamed Lingnan School. In the 29th year of Guangxu (1893), American Dr. Yen Shi-kai and Zhongshan scholar Zhong Rongguang moved Lingnan School from Macau to Kangyucun. Zhong Rongguang raised over 1.2 million yuan through fundraising efforts to build the campus, covering an area of approximately 1.15 million square meters. In the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927), it was divided into the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Agriculture, College of Sericulture, and College of Commerce; additionally, there were affiliated high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, schools for overseas Chinese, kindergartens, libraries, museums, faculty residences, and student dormitories—totaling over 60 facilities. Among them, the library, originally built in 1905 (known as "Martin Hall"), housed over 200,000 volumes of Chinese and Western books. Furthermore, today’s Kangyuan Garden buildings also include the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Bronze Statue, Xing Pavilion, and the Archway of the Seven Successful Imperial Examination Candidates of the Year Yichou. Following the national higher education restructuring in 1952, Sun Yat-sen University, founded in the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924) in Shipai, eastern Guangzhou, was relocated to the former Lingnan University campus in southern Guangzhou, where it remains today. The buildings constructed during the Lingnan School period (the early buildings of Kangyuan Garden) that still stand are all protected cultural heritage sites.

Glan Hall, also known as the Big Bell Tower, now houses administrative departments such as the university’s career guidance center, undergraduate admissions office, alumni association, and teaching evaluation center. Construction began in 1915, and it was completed in June 1916. Because its design resembles a bell tower, it is commonly referred to as the Big Bell Tower; the original Big Bell Tower of Sun Yat-sen University was located within the old Shiqi campus complex.

The donor named the building “Glan Hall” in honor of Mr. Glan, the son of a wealthy New Jersey businessman, who served as the secretary and treasurer of the New York Board of Directors of the Canton Christian College (the predecessor of Lingnan School) from 1896.

On July 17, 2002, the Early Buildings of Kangyuan Garden (including the Lingnan University campus buildings (Martin Hall, Glan Hall), Lingnan University Affiliated Middle School buildings, Lingnan University Affiliated Primary School buildings, Magangding foreign professors' buildings, Model Village Chinese professors' residences, Sun Yat-sen Bronze Statue, and Archway of the Seven Successful Imperial Examination Candidates) were included in the fourth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units.

This building has always been the administrative office of the former Lingnan University. After Sun Yat-sen University moved into Kangyuan Garden in October 1952, it continued to serve as the university’s administrative office until the new office building (Zhongshan Building) was completed and put into use in 2001.

Because the building has a large clock on its roof for timekeeping, it is also called the Big Bell Tower. Glan Hall originally had three floors, and an additional floor was added in the early 1960s.

Huai Shi Tang is located in Kangyuan Garden (South Campus of Sun Yat-sen University) and was a YMCA building built for Lingnan School with funding from Ambrose Swasey, president of Warner & Swasey Company in Cleveland, Ohio (a manufacturer of machine tools and astronomical instruments). Construction began in 1915 and was completed in 1916. Named in honor of the donor as "Huai Shi Tang," it is also called the “Little Auditorium” and is now one of the iconic buildings of Sun Yat-sen University.

Huai Shi Tang, also known as the “Little Auditorium” of Sun Yat-sen University, is situated along the central axis of Kangyuan Garden on the South Campus. To its west is the Graduate School (formerly the second student dormitory of Lingnan University), and to its east is the Faculty and Staff Union (formerly the second McKinney House). Huai Shi Tang was funded by Ambrose Swasey, president of Warner & Swasey Company in Cleveland, Ohio, and built for Lingnan School as a YMCA facility. Construction began in 1915 and was completed in 1916. It was named “Huai Shi Tang” in honor of the donor.

Huai Shi Tang is a three-story building with a basement, facing south and situated on a north-south axis. The original stone lamp posts on both sides of the main entrance steps on the first floor bore the name of Huai Shi Tang in both Chinese and English but were later removed. Ascending the steps, the central three-bay section features a two-story-high porch, flanked by three-story towers, each extending one additional story, with terraces on top. The entire structure is symmetrical and well-proportioned. The red brick exterior is accented with traditional jade-green decorative tiles, and the original gray-brick “cross” pattern exuded a Western religious feel before being replaced with a diamond pattern. The first-floor lecture hall has an irregular pentagonal shape, solid and robust, with a sloped glazed roof featuring three octagonal tower-style vents, surrounded by lush greenery. On the southern lawn stands the motto of Sun Yat-sen University, handwritten by Dr. Sun Yat-sen: “Study extensively, inquire prudently, reflect carefully, discriminate clearly, and practice earnestly.”

Like other red-brick buildings at Sun Yat-sen University, Huai Shi Tang is not just an ordinary structure but also a representation of the university’s humanistic spirit and the embodiment of its soul.

Martin Hall, designated as No. 334 in the northeast area of Sun Yat-sen University (formerly No. 61), is located east of Xing Pavilion and the Sun Yat-sen Bronze Statue on the central lawn of the campus. In 1905, when Lingnan School was first established, the board of directors sold securities and, following the design of a young foreign architect named Stuart, constructed a three-story building. Construction began in 1905 (the 31st year of Guangxu) and was completed in 1906. Initially called the East Wing, in contrast to the West Wing, it was later renamed Martin Hall in honor of Henry Martin, an American industrialist from Cincinnati who made the largest donation toward the school’s construction.

Compared to other buildings in Kangyuan Garden, Martin Hall may not be the most ornate, but this structure, blending Chinese and Western elements, has fully witnessed the era of Lingnan University and Sun Yat-sen University.

Martin Hall measures 50.68 meters in length, 16.14 meters in width, and 15.8 meters in height, with a total construction area of 2,516.48 square meters and a usable area of 1,572.48 square meters. It has three floors, 11 bays, and a basement. It has entrances at both the front and back, with the main entrance centered on the south façade and symmetrically placed secondary entrances on either side. The basement entrance is located below the west façade, all accessed via granite steps.

The lower left corner of the south façade contains a rock embedded with the inscription “AD1905.” The entire building pursues a symmetrical and balanced composition with a simple and solid style. It is the first building in China constructed with hard red bricks and also one of the earliest to use reinforced concrete for flooring.

The Former Residence of Chen Yinke is located on the second floor of No. 309 in the northeast area of Sun Yat-sen University’s campus at No. 135 Xingang West Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou. This two-story building faces south and was donated by Mrs. McKinney of the United States in 1911, hence its name “McKinney House.”

Originally the residence of Ge Lippei, principal of the Lingnan University Affiliated Middle School, it was later home to notable professors such as Wang Jisi, Yang Guorong, Rong Geng, and Shang Chengzuo. Starting in the 1950s, Professor Chen Yinke resided on the second floor of this building.

Chen Yinke’s Former Residence: “Northeast Area 309 of Sun Yat-sen University”

Works such as *Discourse on the Rebirth of the Romance* and *The Biography of Liu Rushi* were written here. The interior is furnished as it was during Chen Yinke’s residence, including his books and personal items.

Blackstone House (BLACK STONE HOUSE) is located in Kangyuan Garden of Sun Yat-sen University and is one of the oldest buildings on campus, dating back to the Lingnan University period. With a blend of Chinese and Western styles, it is quaint yet elegant, representing an outstanding fusion of Lingnan architectural style and Western design. Constructed in 1914 with funding from Mrs. Isabella Blackstone of Chicago, USA, for Zhong Rongguang, then the academic dean of Lingnan School (later Lingnan University), construction began that year. Later named “Blackstone House” in honor of the donor, it is now primarily used for hosting distinguished guests.

Xing Pavilion is now one of the well-known landmarks on the South Campus of Sun Yat-sen University. Facing the library to the east and the Sun Yat-sen Statue to the south, it serves as a weekly English corner every Wednesday evening for English enthusiasts.

Built in 1928 by students of the Xing Society at Lingnan University, it commemorates three individuals: Shi Jianru, Ou Lizhou, and Xu Yaozhang. Shi Jianru entered Canton Christian College in 1899 and later joined the Revive China Society. In October 1900, in support of the Huizhou Sanzhoutian Uprising, he attempted to bomb the Viceroyalty of Liangguang and Viceroy De Shou but failed and was captured, dying a martyr. Ou Lizhou was a faculty member at Lingnan University, and Xu Yaozhang was a student who participated in the anti-British demonstration on June 23, 1925, and died in the Shamian Massacre.

The Archway of the Seven Successful Imperial Examination Candidates of the Year Yichou was originally located on Zhonghua Middle Road (now Jiefang Middle Road), formerly known as the Four-Archway Zhongxian Fang, which included four archways, one of which was the Yichou Seven Successful Candidates Archway. In the 36th year of the Republic of China (1930), the road was expanded, and the Yichou Seven Successful Candidates Archway was relocated to its current site at Sun Yat-sen University. Historical records indicate that the archway was erected to honor seven Guangdong scholars—Li Sijue, Liang Shiji, Luo Yiru, Wu Zhihan, Cen Zhibao, Yin Mingyi, and Gao Kui—who passed the imperial examinations in the fifth year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1625).

Gaolishi House, also known as Gaolishi House, is located at No. 313 in the northeast area of Sun Yat-sen University on Magangding. This exquisite house was built in 1927 with funding from Dr. Gaolishi of Chicago, USA, as a residence for Dr. Lin Anda of Lingnan University. It was once the home of Professor Xia Shuzhang, the pioneer of Chinese public administration and the “Father of Chinese MPA.”

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 flying eaves and animal ornaments, this is Gaolishi House (also called Gaoshi House) at No. 313 in the northeast area. Approved as a Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture in August 2002, it now serves as the office building for Sun Yat-sen University’s Yat-sen College and as a student study room.

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Further Reading:

·Fourth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units