Speaking of the beauty of Wuda (Wuhan University) campus, what is particularly worth visiting besides the cherry blossoms? As a matter of fact, the early buildings of Wuda are something more fascinating. As national-level listed cultural heritage, those buildings have long been identified and protected by the state authorities.
The Administration Building
Students, staff and alumni of Wuda have always taken great pride in the early buildings which lie by the side of tranquil water and at the foot of picturesque hills. As Prof. Xu, former curator of the University Archives, stressed: “Those buildings are splendid and elaborate with a combination of both the oriental and occidental styles, and they are the only existing campus architecture with overall planning and integrated design in modern Chinese history.”
The Songqing Gymnasium
The construction of those buildings was started in 1930, and completed in 1936. In 2001, the early buildings of Wuda were identified and listed as key protected cultural heritage by the central government, and they were also among the first group of campus buildings granted this status and privilege.
The Old Library
In September this year, the Management Committee of Heritage Protection was officially set up at Wuda, which was the first of its kind among Chinese universities. Prof. Li Xiaohong, president of Wuda, acting as head of the committee to address the issue, promised: “Maintaining those buildings is of significance for them to be passed on to next generations.”
