Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center

Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center (HEMC), Guangzhou University Town or Guangzhou University City (Chinese: 广州大学城) is an area featured by higher education institutions, located on Xiaoguwei Island (Chinese: 小谷围岛) in Panyu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. It was opened in 2004. With an area of approximately 17.9 km2 and 3.53 millions square meters of indoor space, the complex is capable of accommodating 350 to 400 thousand people.[1]At the time of construction, it was known as the New University Campus of Guangzhou Region. It is a university park located in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. It is located on Xiaoguwei Island, Panyu District, with an area of 17.9 square kilometers. Construction started in January 2003, and it was officially put into use at the end of August 2004 and welcomed the first ten universities. Since 2014, three universities have successively settled in the 25.3 square kilometer "South Bank of Guangzhou International Innovation City" (that is, the "University City Phase II" in the initial planning period) located in the south bank area of Xiaoguwai Island.

Map of Guangzhou HEMC
Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center
Simplified Chinese广州大学城
Traditional Chinese廣州大學城

Basic introduction

The construction and operation of Guangzhou University City adopts the mode of "unified planning and unified construction", which adopts the mode of government overall planning, university main operation and social participation. The government is mainly responsible for the construction of infrastructure and the planning and construction of various campus districts of the university city; colleges are responsible for the construction of teaching, scientific research and management facilities on campus; enterprises and other social organizations are responsible for the construction and investment of service system. In terms of design, the circular radial road system is adopted in Xiaogu Wai Island, and the central sharing area, living area and teaching area are arranged between the inner, middle and outer loops respectively, so that teaching facilities, various venues and municipal supporting facilities can be highly shared.

Guangzhou University Town is positioned as a first-class university park in China, a center of advanced personnel training, scientific research and exchange in South China, a new urban area with the integrated development of industry, education and research, and a university park that ADAPTS to the market economy system and Guangzhou's status as an international regional central city, as well as ecological and information technology. In the latest planning, Guangzhou University City (Phase I) and the South bank of Innovation City (Phase II) are integrated into the major development platform of Guangzhou International Innovation City, which will be built into a national modern service industry international innovation park, with higher education research and development, science and technology services, and innovation industry as the leading function, and develop into an international science and technology industry incubation base and a global science and technology talent innovation and entrepreneurship base. The country's first-class higher education cluster.

Planning scope

In the "Guangzhou University Town Development Plan" adopted on December 24, 2001, the planning scope of Guangzhou University Town is the area between Xiaogu Wai Island and the south bank of the city between the Central Express line and the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway and the north of Jinshan Avenue, with a land scale of about 43.3 square kilometers and a planned population of 350,000 to 400,000 people. The circular and radial road network is adopted in the Siogu Enclosure, which mainly solves the connection among the university groups. The south bank of Siogu Wai Island adopts a network road network. Transportation links between the north and south shores of Siogu Wai Island are provided by two cross-river Bridges, a tunnel and Line 4 of the MTR. The construction of the university town is carried out in accordance with the principle of overall planning and step-by-step implementation, with Xiaogu Wai Island being developed first and the south bank area being built later. In December 2003, Pan An, then Director of the Guangzhou Planning Bureau, said that the "three islands and one shore" (Guanzhou Island, Changzhou Island, Luoxi Island, and the south bank of Xiaogu Wai Island) around Xiaogu Wai Island, a new town in Panyu District, would be built into the "Guangzhou University Town Circle", Guanzhou Island would become the research and development center of the university town in the future, and Luoxi Island would become the living area of the university town. Cheung Chau Island will be planned as the integrated service area of the University City, and the south bank area of Siu Kok Wai Island will be the second phase of the University City.

After the first phase of the University Town was put into use in 2004, according to the plan, the second phase of the University Town project will be built on about 26 square kilometers of land in the new town on the south side of Xiaogu Wai Island. In September 2005, the relevant person in charge of the Guangzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission revealed at a press conference that although there is no timetable for the construction of the second phase due to various factors, the planning of the major aspects has been determined, "it is definitely necessary to continue to develop the university park outside the Xiaogu Wai Island." Jinan University, Southern Medical University and Guangzhou Medical College have confirmed their intention and obtained preliminary approval. In addition, two other universities are also in active negotiation and are very likely to enter at the same time. These five schools will be included in the first group of the second phase project for construction . However, in 2006, the new campus of Southern Medical University was located in Shunde, and the new campuses of Jinan University and Guangzhou Medical College (now Guangzhou Medical University) were successively approved and settled in the second phase of the University Town planning site after 2010. The plans of the other two universities to settle in Panyu are not discussed below.

In 2012, Guangzhou City proposed the division concept of "major strategic development platform for the main urban area", and University City I, II and Biological Island were unified into the major development platform of "Guangzhou International Innovation City". The reference to University City II gradually faded from government documents and public view after the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. In 2013, Guangzhou City approved the "Detailed Control Planning for the South Bank Starting Area of Guangzhou International Innovation City", which classified the planned land for the second phase of the former University City into the South Bank starting area of Guangzhou International Innovation City and positioned it as "University City Extension area". In the Control Detailed Planning of Guangzhou University Town and revised published in 2015, the planning scope of Guangzhou University Town has been adjusted to Xiaoguwai Island in Panyu District, with a planned residential population of 37,000 and college students of 180,000.

History

Backdrop

Almost all universities in Guangzhou are facing the difficulty of developing land shortage after the enrollment expansion of universities in China in 1999.However, the land shortage in Guangzhou central area is far from supporting the development needs of universities in the city.Sun Yat-sen University, Jinan University and other universities to other cities with open space and favorable policies to establish branch schools.Some city leaders worry that this situation will inevitably lead to the loss of university resources and industries in Guangzhou, which will affect the status of the cultural and educational center city in southern China.In August 2000, Guangzhou put forward its intention to build Guangzhou University Town, which received the support and attention of the Guangdong Provincial Government.

Site selection

In August 2000, the Guangzhou Urban Planning Bureau[], together with the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education[] and university leaders, started the site selection work of Guangzhou University Town, and initially selected four candidate sites: Huadu District, Shiling town Maling reservoir around the lot, Huashan Town Xinzhuang reservoirand Huadong towntoad reservoir on both sides of the lot, Panyu District, Xinzao Town Xiaogu Wai Island and its southern opposite bank lot, Hualong town central lot. On December 20, 2000, according to the suggestions of relevant experts, the authorities added two site selection schemes in the Longdong area of Wushan in Tianhe District and parts of Shiliou and Shijie Town in Panyu District. Considering the future coordinated development with Wushan University Area, the experts initially preferred to build a new university town in Longdong in Tianhe District, but later shelved due to insufficient land scale. Finally, on March 2, 2001, the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee decided to choose Xiaoguwai Island and its south bank, the new town closest to the downtown of Guangzhou, as the site of Guangzhou University Town.

The relevant people of Guangzhou Planning Bureau believe that the site has five geographical advantages: it is located on the southern extension axis of Guangzhou and in the metropolitan area, about 17 kilometers away from the center of Guangzhou; Close to Bio-Island, Pazhou Convention and Exhibition Center, Guangzhou Science City, it is easy to form an integrated innovation base of "production, learning and research"; It is located in the urban transportation network system of Guangzhou expressway and rail transit, which can meet the diversified transportation needs of the university city to the greatest extent. Nearby rich modern historical site culture, Lingnan garden culture, modern culture, plus Xiaogu Wai Island has a long history, rich cultural atmosphere; Located in the "three lines and one center" southeast water township tourism line, can combine with campus culture to develop tourism.

Construct

On February 27, 2002, the "Construction Plan of Guangzhou University City in Guangdong Province" was passed, making it clear that provinces and cities should jointly build Guangzhou University City together. In the same year, the Development Research Center of Guangdong Provincial People's Government and South China Normal University conducted a special research on development topics, and finally selected the universities most in need of development land and comprehensive universities in urgent need of developing frontier disciplines as the criteria for selecting the first batch of universities to enter Guangzhou University Town. On February 3, 2003, Lin Weiming, then president of Guangzhou University, revealed in an interview that Guangzhou University would become the first university to enter Guangzhou University Town. On February 27, 2003, the list, location and land area of the first 10 universities stationed in Guangzhou University Town were finalized. At the same time, Guangzhou Planning Bureau officially issued the document of the overall urban design of Guangzhou University Town and the detailed planning and design competition of the campus group, inviting 15 famous planning and design units at home and abroad to participate.

On June 10, 2002, the mobilization meeting of land requisition and demolition work of Guangzhou University Town was held, and the construction of Guangzhou University Town was officially started. After the demolition, only parts of Nam Ting Village, Pak Ting Village, Sui Shek Village and Pui Kong Village were retained on Siu Koo Wai Island, and most of the villagers were moved to the new village at Gu Wai in May 2003.

The entire ten colleges and universities on Xiaogu Wai Island are constructed in two phases. The first phase of the project is for the teaching buildings, student dormitories and other supporting facilities required by the colleges and universities to open in September 2004, as well as the basic municipal facilities of the university town, with a total construction area of about 2.3 million square meters. It includes 141 main buildings, 66 kilometers of urban municipal roads, 120 kilometers of campus roads, and 8.6 square kilometers of greening projects. The first phase buildings of each campus were completed by the end of June 2004 and handed over to each school in batches, except for the six buildings delayed due to the relocation of high-voltage lines, and the six delayed buildings were completed in mid-August. The construction of major municipal roads and municipal supporting facilities will be completed by the end of August 2004. The second phase of the project is an important landmark building and public building of each university, with a total construction area of about 2.52 million square meters, including 173 individual buildings, started in May 2004 and completed in September 2005.

In December 2005, a total investment of 1.2 billion yuan (later increased to 1.5 billion yuan) of the university Town sports facilities "eight halls and one" project began, in addition to the completed Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and Xinghai Conservatory of Music stadiums in the first phase of the project , the construction of other eight university indoor stadiums, one 40,000 people center stadium. Implementation of unified planning and design, division of labor construction according to different competition functions, officially delivered in May 2007. At the peak of the construction of Guangzhou University Town, there were more than 1,000 construction units and more than 100,000 builders on Xiaoguwai Island.

Components

In phase I of the project, ten local higher education institutions set up new campuses on the Xiaoguwei island with a total capacity of 120,000 students. All except Guangzhou University maintain their old campuses within the city.

Besides ten universities, Guangdong Science Center (Chinese: 广东科学中心), a major science center in China, is located in the Higher Education Mega Center on the west end of Xiaoguwei island.

In the phase II, two more universities set up campuses in Xinzao town which is located across the river on a separate site. The twelve institutions are:[2]

Phase University Chinese Est. Type Location
Phase I Sun Yat-sen University 中山大学 1924 National Xiaoguwei Island
South China University of Technology 华南理工大学 1952 National
South China Normal University 华南师范大学 1933 Provincial
Guangdong University of Foreign Studies 广东外语外贸大学 1995 National
Guangdong University of Technology 广东工业大学 1995 Provincial
Guangzhou University 广州大学 2000 Provincial
Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine 广州中医葯大学 1956 National
Guangdong Pharmaceutical University 广东药学院 1958 Provincial
Xinghai Conservatory of Music 星海音乐学院 1932 Provincial
Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts 广州美术学院 1953 Provincial
Phase II Jinan University 暨南大学 1906 National Xinzao town
Guangzhou Medical University 广州医科大学 1958 Provincial
South China University of Technology International Campus 华南理工大学广州国际校区 1952 National

Transportation

The island can be accessed through the toll Nansha Port Expressway, which links the island to Haizhu District to the north and Panyu District to the south. A two-section cross-river tunnel provides alternative free of charge access to the island, linking it to the Luntou (Chinese: 仑头) area in Haizhu District via the planned Biological Industry Island (Chinese: 广州国际生物岛). In addition, a bridge connects the island to the southeast part of Haizhu district near the Yingzhou Ecological Park.

Two Guangzhou Metro stations are located on the island. The Higher Education Mega Center North Station (Chinese: 大学城北站) and South Station (Chinese: 大学城南站) of Line 4 provide access to Guangzhou's metro network.

The island is served by a dozen of bus routes, with buses running mainly between the university town and the city center. Generally there are two types of bus service: Regular buses which operating like buses within the city center, making frequent stops and therefore lengthening the trip; and express buses dedicated to serve the university town, mainly run on expressways and makes less stops. Many of these express buses travel between the old and new campuses of the universities. There are also shuttle buses provided by some universities which travel between their own campuses. However, these buses are reserved for the university faculty and staff and can not be used by the public or students. Inside the university town, students and teachers usually walk or cycle to classes, or ride a bus to farther locations like other universities and the shopping malls. The most heavily used bus route is 381, which runs along the middle ring road that connects all ten universities and two metro stations together.

Sporting facilities

All ten universities built their own sports facilities as part of the campus development, while some shared facilities were constructed by the government. They include the 39,000-capacity "Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center Central Stadium," typically used for soccer, and other such venues for the 2010 Asian Games.

References
  1. Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center
  2. "Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center". Archived from the original on 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2008-12-17.

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