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The current location of Peking University used to be the campus of Yenchmg University which was called Yan Yuan.It is situated in the northwestern suburb of Beijing, neighboring the well-known Qing Dynasty imperial resorts
"Summer Palace" and "Fragrant Hill" and the celebrated Tsinghua University.
With the naturally endowed landscape, the northwest of Beijing became famous as ideal scenic resorts as early as 800 years ago. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, a cluster of imperial and private gardens were built on the site of Yan Yuan and around，Among them，the most celebrated are Summer Palace and Yuan Ming Yuan (Garden of Perfect Brightness). The latter was burned by the allied British-French force during the 1860s.
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty(1911), those gardens were either deserted or possessed by warlords. In 1920, John Leighton Stuart, the then president of Yenching University, purchased from the warlord Chen Shufan the two gardens - "Su Chun Yuan" and "Shao Yuan” - as the new site of the university. In 1921, the New York-based architect Henry K. Murphy took charge of the new campus plan of Yenching University. Inspired by the gardens previously on site, he chose to design "Chinese style" campus buildings with modern Functions and structures and organize them within a "Chinese style" landscape. In 1929, the campus was completed and was named "Yan Yuan". After 1949, Yenching University merged with Peking University and the latter moved into Yenchmg's campus. Though Yenchmg was terminated, the name "Yan Yuan" continued and is still in use now.
Buildings in Yan Yuan are masterpieces perfectly integrating functional utilities with the surrounding landscape. Individual buildings are designed to well fit the classic "Chinese style" garden so that people can use modern amenities while enjoying the great beauty of nature. All its buildings are typical of ancient Chinese architecture. Their roofs, made of glazed ceramic tiles, slope down on both sides in a simple fashion and have overhanging eaves distinguished by graceful upward slopes. Walls are painted in plain colors and columns in deep red. And all them are set on stone bar-made foundations. These designs come up with not only the style of the campus but also are in harmony with the whole resort area of the northwestern suburb of the city.
The three most representative architectures of Yan Yuan are Boya Pagoda, Weiming Lake and Peking University Library. Boya Pagoda is built on a slope southeast of Weiming Lake. The design of the pagoda is based on the Randeng Pagoda in Tongzhou county and Liao Dynasty style brick pagodas. In the original design plan, it actually served as a water supply structure. But the architect created it in a pagoda shape so that it became a masterpiece both functionally and aesthetically. The pagoda is 36 meters tall which can bee seen from different positions of the campus. Now it is known as the landmark of Peking University.
In 1984, Peking University decided to expand its campus due to the increasing enrollment and academic programs and departments. New constructions have since been erected-buildings for the Geophysics Department, the Law Department, Guanghua School of Management, Center for the Study of Chinese Archaeology and the new Peking University Library, among others. All those buildings carry on the original style of Yan Yuan while integrating some modern features.
Completed on June 25, 1998, the new PKU Library covers an area of 26,681 square meters with a total investment of RMB 130 million. The building is engineered by Qinghua University-based Architectural Design Institute with Mr. Guan Zhaoye as the project's chief architect. The old PKU Library has a total collection of 4 million volumes, recognized as the university library with the largest collection in Asia.Based on that condition, the new library is designed to be both an information base and an academic activity center installed with modern facilities.
Peking University
The new library has three notable features. First, architects dismantled established conventions and made breakthroughs in the building's exterior forms, scale and colors Secondly, the large lawn space in front of the old library is preserved and expanded during the construction of the new library. The lawn is the landmark scenery of PKU and a popular venue for students and teachers to do academic and recreational activities. Thirdly, detail designs not only highlight the building but also make it match well with old constructions and the whole campus environment.
Another representative modern building is PKU Centennial Hall which occupies an area of 12,147 square meters with a total investment of RMB 128 million. The architectural design institute under the Ministry of Construction took change of its engineering plan which is presided by senior architect Zhang Qi. Equipped with 2,500 seats, the hall is a multi-purpose theatre building with conferencing, filming and performing functions. The project's design was awarded "Ten Best Design Plans of Beijing" for its perfect integration of both functional needs and environmental harmony.
Among world famous universities, Peking University is known for its charming landscape featured by lakes, hills, pagodas and pavilions. And Yan Yuan has been recently proclaimed by the State Administration of Heritage as the key heritage site under the state protection. To protect cultural heritages in university campus is far more complex than we expect, because it is involved with protecting not only specific buildings but also spirits and cultures embodied by these buildings.
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