Tsinghua founder's efforts still rewarding hometown

Zhuhai's first National Social Science Popularization Base was unveiled at Tang Guo'an (Tong Kwo On) Memorial Hall on March 19, coinciding with its sixth anniversary and the 106th birthday of Tsinghua University.

Bronze statue of Tang Guo'an in front memorial hall 

Tang Guo'an was born in Jishan Village of Tangjiawan Town in 1858. In the second detachment of the Chinese Educational Mission (CEM) initiated by Rong Hong (Yung Wing) of Nanping Town in Zhuhai, he studied law at Yale University. After many eventful years and having served as its chancellor, Tang was appointed president of Tsinghua College in Beijing in 1912. He died of a heart attack in the fall of 1913.

Today, his hometown is being rewarded not only with his memorial, but also with the second phase of Tsinghua Science Park, which is to be completed by the end of this year. R&D and office buildings will open for both large businesses and start-ups on the 290,000-sq-km site. By 2022, the park is to host 300 enterprises, with more than 10,000 entrepreneurs and employees.

The hall built to honor the man who sparked this science park along with the Tsinghua Innovation Center has an exhibition area of 2,000 sq m. The first floor displays temporary collections while the second level showcases precious documents and photographs about Tang's life and his epic struggle to open Tsinghua.

Since its establishment, the hall has become a venue for integration between Tsinghua and Zhuhai. To date, more than 2,000 Tsinghua students have visited the institution. Due to its collection of cultural relics, it is also a milieu for Zhuhai’s social studies and overseas research into modern China.

Tang Guo'an Memorial Hall

Additionally, the university sends 30 postgraduates and doctoral candidates to Zhuhai each year to conduct community research in the Zhuhai Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, which encompasses Tangjiawan.

On top of all that, fellows of Tsinghua University have donated some 1 million yuan ($144,800) to fund education programs and award outstanding students for the Tang Guo'an Memorial School.

Life story of Tang Guo'an is viewed. [Photos by Zhong Fan / Zhuhai Daily]

Zhang Fengchang, a former vice president of Tsinghua University, and Zhuhai vice mayor Yan Wu attended the commemorative event. They are among more than 230 government organizations and over 150,000 other visitors during the past six years.