Guangzhou is a city with glorious revolutionary traditions. Over the past hundred years, Guangzhounese have done a lot of moving and epic deeds. A great forerunner of revolution and a bourgeois democratic revolutionist, Sun Yat-sen launched the Revolution of 1911, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established Republic of China (1912-1949). The three major policies he put forward (cooperating with Russian, cooperating with the Communist Party of China and supporting farmers and workers) became the Three People’s Principles. Mr. Sun devoted his whole life to seeking a road for the freedom and emancipation of the Chinese people. After his death, many memorial buildings were set up all over the country, such as the famous Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanking, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Zhongshan City and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Guangzhou.
A stately octagonal building featuring Chinese style, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall looks grand and solemn. On this site, there once sat Fubiaojiandao and Duliangongsuo (two organs under the Qing Court) as well as the offices of Guangdong provincial governors in the early years of Republic of China. The presidential palace was here when Sun Yat-sen assumed the office of extraordinary president in 1921. But in the same year, Chen Jiongming (a warlord) defected and burned down the presidential palace. A memorial hall was built here by Guangzhounese in memory of Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary deeds after his death. The foundation of the hall was laid in January 1929 and the construction was in the charge of Li Jishen, the then president of Guangdong provincial government. The construction was later in the charge of Chen Jitang, who took over the post of Li Jishen after Li Jishen was put in captivity in NanKing Tangshan mountain by Chiang Kai-sheik, leader of the KMT. Embedded in the east wall, the cornerstone bears the inscription: The foundation is laid by Li Jishen and other members of the preparative committee of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on January 15, 1929.
Located on Dongfeng Road at the foot of Yuexiu Mountain, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall was built in memory of Sun Yat-sen, the pioneer of Chinese revolution. It was designed by Lu Yanzhen, a Shandongnese and a returned overseas student. Besides this stately memorial hall, he designed other famous buildings such as Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in NanKing and the monument on Yuexiu Mountain, both of which are built to commemorate Sun Yat-sen.
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall，octagonal in shape, with a building area of 12,000 square meters, is of typical Chinese architectural style. An octagonal pavilion-like top towers among double eaves on four sides. Matched with red pillars and yellow walls, the eaves with yellow glazed tiles reach out in four layers. On the frontal eave of the hall hangs a plaque bearing in gold the words “The Whole World as a Community” which was inscribed by Sun Yat-sen himself. Eaves of veranda with coloured drawings and ceilings with various patterns are supported by big red stone pillars. The steps around the central hall are of white granite, which looks elegant and solemn. This stately building is a masterpiece of traditional Chinese architecture.
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall has three features and functions: Firstly, it bears revolutionary significance. Secondly, it carries great artistic value in architecture. Thirdly, it is a landmark marking Guangzhou City with revolutionary heroism.
In the past, the large-scale buildings in China were either palaces or temples and there was no great hall for big gatherings. Standing 49 meters high, with a total building area of 8,300 square meters, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall became the first commemorative meeting hall when it was completed in October 1931. The report of its ribbon-cutting ceremony caused instant sensation and visitors both home and abroad flooded in.
The constructions in Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall have four distinctive features: First, the building is made of reinforced concrete. Measuring 58 meters in height and 71 meters in width, the main hall is divided into 2 stories inside. With 8 stairs and 11 entrances, the main hall can handle 5000 visitors.
Secondly, no pillars can be seen in the main hall as all the 8 octagonal pillars have been hidden in the wall with ingenuity. These pillars support 4 steel joists with a span of 30 meters, which in turn support 8 major joists and thus an octagonal coping is formed, resembling an unfolded umbrella without a handle.
Thirdly, supported by joists, the coping is built in three layers. The bottom layer features sloping checks, the middle layer is inlayed with glass skylights and the top layer was a creamy dome. The hall has an excellent lighting function as light can shoot in through the large glass. So lights are not needed to illuminate the hall in the day.
Fourthly, because of the wide span of the steel joists, the hall looks spacious. Wherever you sit in the hall, no pillar will block your view. What’s more, the hall is devoid of echoes. Wherever you sit in the hall, you can hear the sound on the stage clearly even when the hall is full of audience. This structure is a result of the inventive use of acoustics and mechanics by the architect, Lu Yanzhen.
