Visit Tanhualin

Visit Wuhan's oldest university campus at Tanhualin Wenhua University was the first university established in Wuchang. It was founded by an American Episcopal missionary and is one of the predecessors of Central China Normal University. In 1871, the American Episcopal Church established a small boarding school in Wuchang, which later evolved into a church middle school. In 1903, Wenhua College established a university department, and in 1909, it was officially upgraded to Wenhua University. In February 1922, representatives of the American Episcopal Church, the American Reformed Church, the British Methodist Church, the American Yale Association, and other missionary societies were invited to meet in Hankou and decided to establish a joint university in Wuchang. In 1924, Huazhong University was established on the site of Wenhua University. Huazhong University combined the strengths of the natural sciences at Yale University with the strengths of the liberal arts at Wenhua University, and merged with Wuchang Bowen College, Hankou Boxue College, and Yueyang Hubin College, becoming a first-class university in central China at that time. The former site of Wenhua University is now the Tanhualin Campus of Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Zhai Yage Gymnasium (also known as Zhai Yage), in the Chinese classical revival style, is very eye-catching next to the school gate. It is the earliest existing indoor gymnasium in China, built in November 1921, 15 years earlier than the Song Qing Gymnasium of Wuhan University. The exterior of Zhai Yage is in the Chinese classical revival style, with a two-story brick and wood structure and a double-eave hipped roof. The exterior walls are made of red brick, with no columns on the first floor, and the exterior corridor on the second floor is in the form of a traditional Chinese nine-bay open column corridor, with stone column bases below, and beams, sparrow braces, and single hook railings above. The doors and windows of the building are in the style of southern dwellings, with a variety of window lattice designs. Inside, there is a sports field, fitness equipment, and multi-level stands. The bold exploration and attempt of Zhai Yage to integrate Chinese and Western cultures is the most valuable and distinctive feature of the building. In addition, there are several earlier buildings hidden in the campus, which can be visited with an ID card. The former site of the College of Arts of Wenhua University, now Building 8, was built in 1903. The building is a two-story brick and wood structure with a corridor surrounding an inner courtyard. The courtyard is sunken and paved with stone slabs, reminiscent of the traditional dwellings of the south. In February 1920, Chen Duxiu stayed here when he visited Wuhan. Despite 120 years of wind and rain, the College of Arts is still in good condition, which is amazing. In a campus that often has renovation needs, the College of Arts is like a barrier, becoming a living fossil that preserves historical information. In addition, there are the former sites of the Wenhua University Chapel (now Building 4), the Seminary (now Building 6), the Science Building (now Building 7), and the Women's Dormitory (now Building 14) in Hubei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Compared to many grand buildings in modern Wuhan, these buildings are certainly inconspicuous. However, this sense of simplicity also makes people feel the difficulty of starting modern education. In a turbulent and impoverished era, there is still a spiritually rich ivory tower.