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The new academic year has begun with 14,000 new students joining the SCNU community. To familiarize newcomers with the campus community, we start with recommendations of ten most notable locations on the four campuses of SCNU, the Shipai, University Town, Nanhai and Shanwei campus.
First Teaching Building
The First Teaching Building is one of the landmarks on the Shipai sampus. First built in Soviet style in 1955, having five floors, it was the superior classroom building of all universities in Guangdong in those years.
The old building on a photograph in Guangdong Pictorial, shown as one of the achievements of education development in 1959.
To meet the requirements of school development and modernization of teaching facilities in the new era, the old building was demolished and rebuilt in the 21st century with a new charm. The red and white exterior retains some of the old architectural elements, but with more vibrancy and splendor.
Now, the new building is a well-deserved hallmark, which retains the original five-story double staircase structure and combines Chinese eaves and European Roman columns. It is extremely creative and beautiful.
Red Building
Located on the west side of the faculty activity club on the Shipai Campus, the Red Building was built in the 1930s and known for its red floor tiles and red exterior walls. The interior of the building resembles the structure of a temple, with a symmetrical structure on the upper and lower floors, and a distinctive and uniform style inside and out.
The Red Building has grown with SCNU through the ages. In the wake of the war, its original window frames were damaged, and some of the roof tiles were missing. The building was renovated in 1957 when it became part of the Department of Biology of SCNU. In 2006, modern push and pull-out aluminum windows replaced the sliding wooden window frames. After that, the alumni association officially moved in, and the Red Building became a link between the school and its alumni.
Taoli Yuan
Located across from the School of Fine Arts, Taoli Yuan is an important place for student activities. The building has a unique style and multi-functional interiors, and was built by the Design Institute of South China University of Technology.
Back in the 1980s, there was no special place for students' recreational activities on the campus. Lin Dengfeng, then head of the student department, had the idea to build a student activity center. He and his colleagues went around to mobilize social forces to donate funds, and got the support of many units and alumni. In 1991, Taoli Yuan was completed and put into use, becoming one of the few independent student activity centers in the country at that time.
After the completion of the center, the Office of Students Affairs looked for a name, which was finally decided on "Taoli Yuan", and the famous calligrapher Li Pengcheng inscribed the name.
University Town campus Gymnasium
Located on the University Town campus, the Gymnasium looks like two green leaves floating down. The top of the building opens and closes automatically for natural lighting, which is energy-saving. The steel roof structure of the arena suggests dynamic.
With a construction area of more than 200,000 square meters, the Gymnasium consists of a multifunctional gym, a swimming pool, a physical education hall, a standard athletic field, and secondary sports facilities. It has witnessed the key moment of the badminton games during the 8th National Student Sports Games and the handball games during the 2010 Asian Games, as well as the sweat and glory of many SCNUers.
Butterfly Pavilion
Also located on the University Town campus, the Butterfly Pavilion is shaped like a butterfly resting on a book and about to fly.
Inside the pavilion, the motto of SCNU is engraved, reminding students to “foster the spirit of working hard, pursue studies with utmost rigour, seek truth from facts to blaze new trails, and be a model of virtue for others.”
The Butterfly Pavilion is a reciting place for students. It beathes the spirit of the humanities. Between classes, from the relaxing Tai Chi to the stretching Changquan, the Butterfly Pavilion is a place for sports. At dusk, from roller skating youngsters to students practising dance, the Butterfly Pavilion is an entertainment paradise that rings with peals of laughter.
Concert Hall
From above, the Concert Hall on the University Town campus looks like a beautiful note floating in the air. Here SCNUers can enjoy high art without spending a penny.
The concert hall has staged many wonderful events, such as plays performed by professional actors from the National Theatre of China, classic music concerts, seminars and so on.
At the end of each year, the annual New Year’s Concert is held here. You can feel the sublimation of emotion in the cultural feast and welcome the coming New Year.
Nanhai Campus Library
The Library on the Nanhai Campus was built in 2002 and is located on the westside of the Nanhai campus. It has five floors and a basement. It is so quiet that you can only hear the gentle sound of turning over pages here. In addition, there is a small cinema in the basement, where well-selected films are shown every Friday for teachers and students to watch for free.
Nanhai Campus Gymnasium
The multiple-purpose gymnasium, where a vast array of important activities are held, is located on the northside of the Nanhai campus of SCNU. It consists of indoor basketball courts, badminton courts, standard football fields, a taekwondo room, a table tennis center and an indoor swimming pool. Students can sweat joyfully here by playing sports in their spare time.
Shanwei Campus Teaching Building
The teaching building on the southside of the Shanwei campus seamlessly blends past and present under the blue sky and around green plants and flowing water, with a shade of traditional brick-red and white and a sleek structure featuring minimalism.
The building inside is excellently equipped with teaching equipment, to meet any need from students and teachers at any time. There are five floors of teaching areas which comprise two lecture halls, 18 smart classrooms, 2 computer rooms, 1 network center and 23 standard classrooms, accommodating more than 3,300 students on a daily base. It was officially put into use in 2021.
Dormitory Buildings
The four dormitory buildings on the Shanwei campus were officially put into use in 2021. Of a simple design with white as its predominant color and cinnabar red as ornament in the facade they create a pleasing visual effect.
Inside, space is mainly painted in blue and white, the classical SCNU colors, and rooms are all spacious, bright and fully-equipped, providing a comfortable residential environment for students. There are 8 floors in each building, with the first two devoted to common rooms and fully featuring the Residential College (RC) scheme. The other 6 floors are occupied by residential areas each holding 26 dorm rooms equipped with bunk beds, desks and independent washrooms on each floor.
Source from SCNU News Center
Translated by Yan Xiaoxi, Wei Xiaonan, Liu Yalin
Proofread by Edwin Baak
Edited by Li Jianru
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