Historical study and strategies for the revitalization of the former Ginling College buildings in Nanjing, China —Architectural Heritage of the Church School in the Early Twentieth Century

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ginling College is the first women’s university founded by the British and American Christian Churches in China at the beginning of the twentieth century. Its school building is not only the earliest and largest concrete school building group in Nanjing in near modern times, but also a masterpiece of the church's implementation of the ‘Chinese native architectural style’. This ‘combination of Chinese and Western’ creative method initiated by the churches is called the ‘Renaissance of Chinese Traditional Architecture’, which has a profound impact on later generations and has important historical significance and research value. At present, the school’s historical buildings are in urgent need of conservation and refurbishment. The conservation project strives to maintain the original appearance of the building, optimize the space design, and achieve the coordinated development of culture heritage conservation and the overall campus area. This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation and research on this school building heritage from the different perspectives of architectural history and regeneration. Given the significance of this historic building group in modern China, this research will fill a gap in relevant historical study, offering a typical case study of modern school buildings and their utilization in China.