Mingyuan Tower of Guangdong Imperial Examination Hall

　　Located at No. 125, Yuexiu Middle Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, the Mingyuan Tower was built in the 23rd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1684). It is one of the few remaining structures from the Qing Imperial Examination Halls in China. The Mingyuan Tower stands on the central axis of the Guangdong Imperial Examination Hall, with two stories, making it the tallest building within the compound. During the provincial examinations, the supervising official would oversee the exam process from this elevated position. After the abolition of the imperial examination system, the original site of the examination hall was used to build the Higher Normal School for Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces, and the Mingyuan Tower was preserved as part of the school’s architecture. It became the only remaining structure that marks the transition from traditional imperial examination culture to modern education in GHM Greater Bay Area.
　　The Guangdong Imperial Examination Hall, renowned for its large scale, was one of the "Four Great Imperial Examination Halls of Late Qing" alongside those in Shuntian, Jiangnan, and Henan. After the imperial examinations were abolished in 1905, the site served as the location for the Higher Normal School of Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces, the National Guangdong Higher Normal School, the National Guangdong University, and the National Sun Yat-sen University, witnessing significant developments in modern education in the region. In 1957, the site became part of the Guangdong Provincial Museum (Guangzhou Lu Xun Memorial Hall).
　　In 1978, it was designated as a Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit, becoming one of the first batch of protected sites in Guangdong.