Academic Charm

Academic Charm

Academic Charm (Sun Yat-sen University North Gate Plaza) is located on Binjiang East Road and covers an area of 15,000 square meters. This site was the main entrance of the former Lingnan University. In 1952, when Sun Yat-sen University relocated from Shipai, this gate also served as the university’s main entrance. It was re-planned and a plaza was constructed during Guangzhou’s urban revitalization initiative known as the “Three-Year Mid-Term Transformation.”

As the first open-campus square in Guangdong Province, the Sun Yat-sen University North Gate Plaza has garnered widespread public attention. The plaza mainly consists of an archway, the university emblem, the university motto, and elements of the university's history. The most eye-catching feature is a classic Chinese-style two-story archway that recreates the former grandeur of the university’s landscape. Made of concrete and clad in stone slabs and granite, the archway faces the Pearl River and aligns in the same direction as the statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen within the campus, restoring its position as the endpoint of the central axis. Compared to the old archway from the 1940s, the new one is larger and not identical in detail, but it better highlights the plaza’s traditional Chinese cultural ambiance. It is reported to be a model for campus plazas across the province and serves as a great leisure spot for residents.