Close to the Qiantang Riverside. Because the Qiantang River turns twice in the south of Hangzhou, forming the character "Zhi", it got its nickname "Zhijiang". Climbing along the path along the riverside, we passed through the dense forest and soon saw the red school buildings scattered among the green trees. The former site of Zhijiang University is a missionary school founded by Americans in China in modern times. It promotes education in the form of religion, but it is not a medieval seminary. Instead, it is a Puritan tradition of practicing God's purpose in the world, full of The rational spirit of studying things to achieve knowledge. At that time, believers from the United States chose this geomantic treasure land surrounded by mountains and rivers. Whether it is the Liuhe Pagoda on the adjacent mountain or the tide of the Qianjiang River at the foot of the mountain, they are all scenery rich in Chinese historical connotations, and this Western-style building complex is also Added some exotic flavor. The main building at the former site of Zhijiang University is called Shensi Hall. It may have been built the earliest, around 1902-1903. It has dotted round-arched windows. The roof originally had an Eastern-style two-story cornice, which was later restored to a simple hipped roof. It is now a teaching building. There are two large camphor trees in front of the building. They are 200 years old. They were probably moved from other places when the building was built.
The most eye-catching building at the former site of Zhijiang University is the Bell Tower, which is also the School of Economics. It was not built very early, in 1943, but because of its height and its brown-red facade that is particularly attractive, it is often the first thing you see. It is said that this building was built to commemorate the teachers who stayed at the school during the Anti-Japanese War. The building abandons cumbersome patterns and has simple lines, making it a typical modern building.
The entire Zhijiang University old building complex has about fifteen or sixteen houses. Except for the main building, bell tower, building 3 and building 4, which are teaching buildings, most of the others are dormitories. Buildings 1 and 2, also called Dongzhai and Xizhai, are male dormitories. These two dormitories were built between 1910 and 1920. They are relatively large and numbered at the front. In fact, they can be seen as soon as you enter the campus, which shows that being a boy is glorious and boys are brave. Correspondingly, the girls' dormitories, such as Building 9, also called Wei Zhai, are located halfway up the mountain in a relatively secluded area. As for the dormitories of foreign teachers, which are probably the dormitories of former school leaders, they are arranged on a more secluded hillside and are called the Upper Red Room and Lower Red Room respectively. These two villas were also built relatively early, around 1902-1903. The round arched doorways and carved pillars retain traces of ancient Roman architecture and are very elegant. Among them, the lower red room was occupied by Leighton Stuart. The library and Yuyingtang are also worth mentioning. The library was built in the 1920s. It is on a high slope and requires very high steps to go up. One of the biggest features of this building is that its function has never changed and it has always been a library. The Yuying Hall is different. It was originally called Du Ke Hall. It was built in 1917 and was used as a church for prayer. Later, of course, it could no longer be used as a church. Now it is used as a lecture hall and club for students. This building is different from all other buildings. It does not use red brick as the exterior wall material, but uses stone, and its style is relatively modern.
The reason why the old site of Zhijiang University has been well preserved is related to its relatively remote geographical location. Even now, many houses, such as the Upper Red Room and Lower Red Room, are vacant. Because they are used infrequently and are not overloaded, they have a long lifespan.