Editor’s Note:

In celebration of Tsinghua University’s upcoming 110th anniversary, we have put together a special weekly video series “Tsinghua Landmarks” for you to revisit the University’s rich history through fascinating stories behind famous Tsinghua landmarks.

Each week, the series will feature a Tsinghua landmark and tell its history, taking you back in time and offering a closer look at Tsinghua’s 110-year glorious journey towards excellence. Find out more about Tsinghua in the coming weeks through this special series and make your Tsinghua anniversary celebration special.

This week, as the first part of the series, we bring you the story of The Auditorium. Let’s explore the campus, review its history, and experience the spirit of Tsinghua.

The Auditorium is located at the center of the campus. On September 17, 2009, Tsinghua University unveiled the logo for its 100th anniversary. The red-domed building marked by the Arabic numeral “100”, opens the door to history.

The Auditorium, designed by an American architect in 1921, is modeled after the auditorium at the University of Pennsylvania. It has a colonnade featuring a hybrid of classical Roman and Greek styles. It used to be the largest auditorium and lecture theatre among all the universities in China. Together with the library(east pavilion), the science building and the gymnasium(front pavilion), they are well-known as the Four Lankmark Buildings in the early years of Tsinghua.

The Auditorium has long been the University’s center for gathering. International dignitaries, academic masters, and public figures gather here from around the world. Major events, high-level meetings, reports and lectures, art shows, as well as cultural activities have been held under its high dome on campus.

Since the 1990s, the New Year Movie Night has accompanied teachers and students to ring out the old and ring in the new through a visual feast. The presidents of the University also attend to celebrate the New Year.

Today, the Auditorium has cutting-edge projection facilities that present the vicissitudes of life and stories. Yet those silent blue bricks never change.

A horizontal board that reads “Constant development of the humanities” has hung in the Auditorium since its completion. It reflects Tsinghua’s one kind of spirit and keeps encouraging Tsinghua teachers and students to “improve themselves every day” and get ready for another century of glory.

Nowadays, the Auditorium is mainly used for students’ cultural activities and entertainment, especially the Student Festival. It has held cherished memories, for those who have bloomed on this stage, who have participated in background work or even who just sat down and enjoyed the performance. The Auditorium records the history and spirit of Tsinghua, and also brings beautiful memories to every generation of Tsinghua students.

Photographer: Li Pai

Writer: Zhu Mingzhu

Editors: John Olbrich, Liu Shutian, Sangeet Sangroula