Peking University, April 26, 2019: Peking University Hall, also known as Peking University Centennial Memorial Hall, is one of the most-recognizable icons of Peking University. Built to celebrate the 100-year birthday of the university in 1998, it is a multifunctional complex with advanced equipment and multiple functions.
Located in the center of the campus, it covers an area of 5,600 square meters. This spacious building has a massive performance hall, a multipurpose room for small-sized performances, lectures, and other activities, a VIP reception room, a memorial hall, a meeting room, a café, a gallery, an audience lounge, a rehearsal room and a dressing room. These rooms enable the hall to host various types of events and performances.
As for the history of the building, students often tell a story about why it was built. As the narrative goes, in the late 1990s, Li Lanqing, former vice premier of the State Council, came to Peking University to deliver a speech. During his visit to campus, he expressed concerns about some of the school facilities that had fallen into disrepair. As soon as he learned of the funding shortages facing the university, he managed to obtain a fiscal appropriation for the university to help improve school facilities. The construction of Peking University Hall, which became part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the university, was partially funded with that money. On March 1, 2000, the hall hosted its first performance, The Nutcracker (Chinese version). Since then, the PKU Hall has been a major campus venue.
Today, Peking University Hall is also an irreplaceable part of campus life. Purchasing a movie ticket in the box-office or going to a concert on weekend is now a common form of entertainment for PKU students. The hall operates on the principle “high grade, low price” which benefits students who are able to enjoy performances at a discount when they show their PKU ID card. The hall also serves as an art gallery which constantly exhibits masterpieces of oil painting, calligraphy and so on, offering students a full range of artistic enjoyment. In addition to performances and exhibitions, important lectures are often held in the hall as well. Thus the hall becomes a witness to the marvelous blend of thoughts and ideas that come to campus.
For visitors, the Peking University Hall is an icon as well as landmark. But for those who actually live in this beautiful campus, this hall means much more than that. It is an inseparable part of campus life and a home for art and knowledge that students love.
Written by: Xu Yuanrui
Edited by: Erin Dunne
