The early buildings of Wuhan University are one of the representatives of modern university architecture in China. The early buildings of Wuhan University have high architectural art, humanistic historical and scientific values, and the international symposium considers that these buildings are expected to become a new world cultural heritage.
Due to their high historical, artistic, and scientific value, they were listed by the State Council of China on June 25, 2001, as the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units and the first batch of historical building complexes in Chinese university campuses, together with the and the Weiming Lake Yanyuan buildings of Peking University.
Building list The early buildings of Wuhan University were mainly school buildings planned and designed at one time and built continuously on the campus between 1930 and 1936. There were 30 projects and 68 buildings in total, with a construction area of 78,596 square meters and a cost of 4 million silver yuan. In addition, some buildings from the 1940s and 1950s were also included. Such a huge construction activity is rare in the history of modern Chinese architecture. Now most of the buildings are well preserved and still in use. Among them, 15 sites and 26 buildings are listed as national key cultural relics protection units, with a construction area of 54,054.52 square meters. The basic information of these buildings is shown in the table below (area unit/square meter): Building NameCurrent nameNumber of buildingsNumber of layersBuilding AreaCompletion timeBuilding TypesBuilding StructureDesignerConstruction PartyMale dormitoryYingyuan Dormitory (common name), Laozhai Dormitory, Yingyuan Dormitory 1 to 444137731931LifeBrick-concrete structureF. H. Kales R. SachseHanxie Sheng Construction FactoryStudent dining hall and clubYingyuan Canteen and Yingyuan Student Activity Center1227271931LifeHanxie Sheng Construction FactoryFaculty of Arts and LawSchool of Mathematics (general name), Old School of Arts, School of Mathematics and Statistics1439281931Science and EducationHanxie Sheng Construction FactoryFaculty of ScienceScience Building, Old Science Building554671 54491931 1936Science and EducationReinforced concrete
Frame structureF. H. Kales R. SachseHanxie Sheng Construction Factory Yuan Ruitai Construction FactoryZhou Enlai's Former Residence133921931Brick and wood structureR. SachseHanxie Sheng Construction FactoryFormer Residence of Guo Moruo134761931Brick and wood structureR. SachseHanxie Sheng Construction FactoryNational Wuhan University ArchwayOld archway (common name)1-40.51933Reinforced concrete structureHanxie Sheng Construction FactoryHillside ResidenceHillside Residence, Board of Directors, Alumni Association125071933Hanxie Sheng Construction FactorylibraryOld Library (common name), School History Exhibition Hall1647671935libraryReinforced concrete
Frame structureF. H. KalesShanghai Liuhe CompanyFaculty of LawForeigner Building (common name), Foreigner Wen Building, Quality Development Strategy Research Institute1440131936Science and EducationShanghai Liuhe CompanyCollege of ScienceAdministration Building (common name)5481401936Science and EducationReinforced concrete
Frame structureF. H. KalesShanghai Liuhe CompanystadiumSongqing Gymnasium (common name), Old Gymnasium1427481936sportsReinforced concrete frame
Three-hinged arch steel frame structureF. H. Kales A. LevenspielShanghai Liuhe CompanyCentral China Hydraulic Engineering LaboratoryArchives1221971936Shanghai Liuhe CompanyJune 1 Memorial Pavilion1158.021948Former Residence of Li Da111681952
Construction process On August 6, 1928, the National Government College appointed Li Siguang, , ,, , and Mai Huanzhang as members of the National Wuhan University New Campus Building and Equipment Committee. Chairman Li Siguang was a geologist, and Secretary Ye Yaguo was a forest scientist, who was familiar with the geographical environment outside Wuchang. Ye Yaguo believed that "the area around Wuchang East Lake is the most suitable site for the university, and its natural scenery is not unique to domestic schools, but also rare in foreign universities." After a field investigation by all the members, in November 1928, it was determined that the new campus would be located on the shore of the scenic East Lake outside Wuchang City, and in the area of Luojiashan (also known as Luojiashan) and Shizishan, far away from the downtown. It was based on the ideal model of famous foreign university campuses, and also in line with the concept of distant site selection in Chinese traditional culture that "the benevolent enjoy mountains, and the wise enjoy water." Li Siguang and Ye Yaguo recommended F. H. Kales as the architectural engineer of the new campus and went to Shanghai to invite Kales. After a field investigation, Kaiers believed that the hills in this area were gentle and had abundant water resources. Rocks, springs, and lake water could all be used. Building buildings along the hills could save foundations and stones, so he agreed to use Luojia Mountain as the school site. Later, Wen Yiduo renamed it "Luojia Mountain".
In March 1929, because Luojia Mountain and its vicinity were all barren fields and narrow paths, the school wrote to the Hubei Provincial Construction Department to start building a special highway connecting Jiedaokou. However, because the road construction and relocation of graves violated the filial piety of some grave owners, they united to petition the Hubei Provincial Government and asked it to stop it. Therefore, the provincial government asked Wuhan University to stop construction and find a new campus on the grounds that the new campus occupied too much civilian land. In the same month, the acting president resigned due to busy affairs. So the Ministry of Education appointed Wang Shijie as the first president of Wuhan University. At the beginning of his tenure in May, he devoted himself to the demarcation, surveying, planning and construction of the new campus on Luojia Mountain. Together with Mr. Ye Yaguo, he led dozens of migrant workers to dig up all the graves blocking the road overnight, creating an irreversible fait accompli. Although the grave owners reported the matter to the central government, it was of no avail. The 10-meter-wide and 1.5-kilometer-long road was eventually completed according to the original route and opened to traffic in February 1930. It was named University Road. He also invited relevant provincial government officials to visit Luojia Mountain in person. They all agreed that the place had beautiful scenery, with mountains and water. Building a school here would inspire culture and be particularly beneficial to Wuhan residents.
At the same time, survey and planning began on March 18, and the main axis was determined by Li Siguang's survey. Miao Enzhao led his assistant Shen Zhongqing and another four surveyors to start the survey and drawing work of the new school building. After five months of hard work, the survey task was completed on time. When Kaiers was conceiving the drawings, he often stood on the mountain for several hours, and completed the general design drawing half a year later. In August, the provincial government announced the red line of the campus, bounded by East Lakeside in the east, Tea Harbor in the west, Guozheng Lake in the north, and from East Lakeside to Tea Harbor Bridgehead in the south, with a total area of more than 3,000 acres. The school bought the land for the school building at the price of seven silver dollars per acre of paddy field and five silver dollars per acre of mountain land. The owner of the mountain surnamed Luo was reluctant to give up his "feng shui treasure land" at first, and Shi Ying, then director of the Provincial Government Construction Department, personally went to persuade and mobilize. At that time, there were many ancestral graves on the mountain that needed to be moved. More than a hundred grave owners obstructed the demarcation and construction of the new school site on the grounds that the new school building would destroy the feng shui. They even gathered villagers to go to Wang Shijie's hometown to dig up his ancestral graves. The provincial education director even instigated people to cause trouble at the construction site. Wang said, "You can dig up all the ancestral graves, but the Luojia school building must be built.", a member of the National Wuhan University Preparatory Committee, followed Wang Shijie's instructions and organized a professorial committee to argue with the Ministry of Education that "a good place like Luojia Mountain should be used to build a school, and no president or chairman can stop it." The result was approval. Shi Ying also actively supported Wang Shijie and sternly refuted those who opposed the relocation of graves, saying, "Building a school is a long-term plan, don't be superstitious about feng shui."
In October 1929, the Building Equipment Committee officially hired Kells as the construction engineer of the new school building and approved the general design drawing. In addition, Abraham Levenspiel and Richard Sachse were also hired. as an assistant. Miao Enzhao, Kells's classmate and friend at MIT, was also hired as the supervising engineer and head of the engineering department of the new campus, responsible for construction technical supervision and partial structural and plumbing design. Under his strict and conscientious technical supervision, the construction quality of these projects was ensured, and the main structure is still as solid as ever. The projects were constructed by Han Xiesheng, Yuan Ruitai, Yongmaolong and other construction companies and Shanghai Liuhe Company. The water, sanitation and heating projects of the school building were mainly contracted by Hanhua Company. In March 1930, the new school building project started. , the owner of Han Xiesheng Construction Factory, firmly believes that "quality is fundamental" and requires Wuhan University projects to focus on a warranty period of more than 100 years, select high-quality materials, and strictly inspect everything, even after he suffered a heavy blow from blindness. , still insisted that both parties should send engineers and supervisors to supervise and inspect the quality at any time. Once problems are discovered during construction, they will be reworked at all costs.