Tsinghua Landmarks | Gu Yue Tang

A once-prosperous center for talents,

Gu Yue Tang has witnessed many changes.

After Tsinghua turned it into a dormitory for its female students,

the garden saw many love stories unfold.

– Wang Jianjun(1903-1999), a famous composer and Tsinghua professor

In Tsinghua Garden, Gu Yue Tang is one of the best spots that display the quintessence of traditional Chinese gardens. In this enclosed courtyard garden, tall and canopy-like trees keep sunshine out, creating a secluded oasis. 

Built around the second year of the Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty, Gu Yue Tang is a stone’s throw away from the West Hall of Gong Zi Ting. With a floor area of about 670 m², Gu Yue Tang originally served as the study room of Prince Dun Miankai, the then-owner of Tsinghua Garden. With the establishment of Tsinghua University, the garden was transformed into a faculty dormitory. 

In the fall of 1924, Wang Guowei accepted the invitation from the Tsinghua Academy of Chinese Learning and moved into Gu Yue Tang with his family, becoming one of the four masters of Chinese classics at Tsinghua. Around the same time, Gu Yue Tang also housed scholars like Liang Qichao and Zhu Ziqing.

In 1928, Tsinghua University welcomed its first class of female students in a historic move towards advancing gender equality. Gu Yue Tang would be their dormitory. 

Gu Yue Tang witnessed many love stories. In the spring of 1932 when the lilacs were in full bloom, Yang Jiang, a transient student of the Foreign Languages Department living in the single-story room of Gu Yue Tang’s west wing, met the love of her life, Qian Zhongshu. The couple created a lot of sweet memories together in Gu Yue Tang and wrote a beautiful love story, which is talked about to this day.

Today, Gu Yue Tang accommodates administrative offices, but it still remains one of the most popular attractions at Tsinghua. A distinctive floral-pendant gate and the two white stone lions placed in front of it continue to guard the garden, eagerly awaiting a wonderful tomorrow. 

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Tsinghua Landmarks | Gu Yue Tang

Writer: Liu Yijun

Designer: Bella Lim, Penny Tan