Former observatory of Sun Yat-sen University, Cultural site at Yuxiu Middle Road in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China.

The former observatory of Sun Yat-sen University stands at 125 Yuexiu Middle Road in Yuexiu District. Built in 1929, it is a 30-meter-high reinforced concrete structure with a rectangular two-story north-south building fronted by dozens of steps, a connected three-story hexagonal tower on the east, and a basement. It housed a French astronomical clock, a 15 cm meridian circle, a 20 cm reflecting telescope, and a German equatorial mount.

The observatory was founded in 1929 as part of the university during China's period of scientific modernization. It was an important center for astronomical research when the country was adopting Western methods.

The observatory's name and site recall Zhang Yun, who founded the mathematics and astronomy department in 1927 after studying in France. Its position near the Tropic of Cancer let it observe southern skies invisible to most high-latitude observatories, and it joined the International Astronomical Union's variable-star committee in that work.

The former observatory stands inside the courtyard at 125 Yuexiu Middle Road, Yuexiu District, near the Mingyuan Tower of the Guangdong Examination Hall and the Sun Yat-sen Library. Since 1957 the site has been occupied by the Guangdong Science and Technology Photo Press and the Guangdong Science and Technology Newspaper, so it is not a museum open for tours; the building is seen from the street and courtyard.

The building preserves original astronomical clocks and measuring devices that were used for daily observation work. These instruments show the craftsmanship and knowledge that astronomers required at that time.