Yunnan Examination Hall: A Hidden Gem in a University Campus

North of Cuihu Park is the Yunnan Examination Hall, located on the campus of Yunnan University. Enter the lush campus and you'll see a small hill with wide steps leading to the top. Climb the steps and you'll find a large building made of red bricks and huge stones, with a combination of Chinese and Western styles, called Huize Hall. Huize Hall was built in 1923 on the site of the former Huize Building of the Yunnan Examination Hall and is the main building of Donglu University. Donglu University was a private school founded by Tang Jiyao, the governor of Yunnan Province at the time, who was from Huize, Yunnan. Huize Hall faces south and was hit twice during the War of Resistance, but still stands strong. It was designed by Zhang Banghan. Go around to the back of Huize Hall and you'll find a Chinese-style building called Zhigong Hall, which was the main building of the Yunnan Examination Hall during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has witnessed many historical events. During the Southern Ming Dynasty, it was the Dingbei Palace of the Daxi Peasant Army led by Ai Nengqi, and the Yongli Emperor used it as the "Dian Capital" Palace. In the 24th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1819), Lin Zexu presided over the Yunnan provincial examination here as the chief examiner. After the establishment of Donglu University, it was used as an auditorium. On July 15, 1946, Wen Yiduo gave his "Last Speech" here before he was killed. The Yunnan Examination Hall was built in the 12th year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty (1499). Zhigong Hall is located in the center, but the four rooms behind the hall no longer exist, and only the east examination shed remains on the east and west sides. This is where the candidates lived and took their exams. To the east of Huize Hall is a beautiful yellow two-story building, the former residence of Xiong Qinglai and Li Guangtian, both of whom served as presidents of Yunnan University and lived here. Behind Zhigong Hall are the current school buildings of Yunnan University. To the west is Yingqiu Hall, built in 1938 with donations from Long Yun's wife, Gu Yingqiu, and designed by Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin. To the southwest of Yingqiu Hall is a tall tower, an early geodetic positioning marker in China, called the First Astronomical Point of Yunnan. It was built in the 49th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1710) and is the only exact point of original longitude and latitude measurement in China, except for the Beijing Observatory. Take this opportunity to stroll around the campus of Yunnan University and feel the scholarly atmosphere. The campus is full of ancient trees and has a tranquil environment. In front of the library, there is a ginkgo path, and the ginkgo leaves are slightly yellow, giving a hint of autumn.