Site of Whampoa Military Academy, Military academy museum in Huangpu District, Guangzhou, China
The Site of Whampoa Military Academy is a museum and heritage complex in Huangpu District that spans 57,000 square meters (613,542 square feet) and includes the main building, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, swimming pool, and club facilities. The complex sits on Changzhou Island in the Pearl River and is accessible by ferry or bridge connections.
Sun Yat-sen chose the old Guangdong Army Primary School and naval school buildings on Changzhou Island for the academy in January 1924, and classes began that May; the opening ceremony was held on 16 June 1924. Renamed the Central Military and Political School in March 1926, it ran seven cohorts before the main campus moved to Nanjing in 1928. Japanese bombing destroyed most buildings in 1938; the headquarters was rebuilt in 1996 on its original alignment and scale.
The academy buildings combine European architectural elements with Chinese design principles, featuring two-column entrance gates and traditional wooden structures. Visitors today can see classrooms and dormitories that help them understand the daily life of the cadets.
Visitors need advance online reservations to enter the museum, which permits 2000 daily guests and requires valid identification documents. Plan at least two hours to tour the entire grounds, including memorial sites and outdoor areas.
The Eastern Expedition Martyrs' Cemetery, southwest of the campus on Pinggang, covers over 50,000 square metres and holds 516 soldiers killed in the 1925 campaigns against Chen Jiongming. Its gate resembles the Huanghuagang Martyrs' Cemetery, earning it the name "Little Huanghuagang". The memorial arch facing the Pearl River, built in 1936 of granite and red brick, bears an inscription by Chiang Kai-shek.
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