【Cultural Landscape】GDUFS Bell Tower: Refreshing the Charming Memories of the New Year Countdown

In the end of August, 2004, the Nanfang Metropolis Daily unveiled the top 10 landmarks of the Higher Education Mega Center. Among them, the bell tower, a landmark of the GDUFS South Campus, was listed due to its modern style. The bell tower stands among a group of teaching buildings, overlooking the whole campus including all plants and faculty and students.

The bell tower means a lot to GDUFS’ers, for it has not only witnessed significant changes to GDUFS, but also seen GDUFS’s development.

The bell tower

Retrospecting the Past: the Activity of the New Year Countdown

In 2004, the construction of the high education mega center was just finished and was initiated in August. On the eve of 31th, December, 2004, a large-scale event, namely, the New Year Countdown was held on the GDUFS south campus, located in the center.

A teacher who then worked on GDUFS south campus shared with us his unforgettable experience. A lot of students gathered around the bell tower, appreciating the wonderful performance and awaiting the coming of the New Year. When the New Year was approaching, all students chanted the countdown. At that time, chanting, cheering and New Year’s wishes, converging, warmed their hearts.

Ms. ZHOU Donglan, who then served as the administrator of the GDUFS South Campus Governing Committee, reviewed this event. She said that when the freshmen came to GDUFS south campus, they were the first group of students there and no upper-classmen were around them. In order to help them obtain a sense of belonging and resolve the absence of a campus culture, the Governing Committee thought it necessary to bring all students together and therefore they could know more and make more friends from different classes, majors and faculties. Finally, there came the New Year Countdown at the bell tower.

Since then, the New Year Countdown at the bell tower has been an important activity as well as a valuable memory for graduates from GDUFS. Some students said that they once saw someone bring a portable loudspeaker box and dance there and that even if they graduated from GDUFS, they would come back to take part in this activity.

The New Year Countdown at the bell tower

An Unforgettable Memory

Some Interesting Stories about the Bell Tower: its Song and Time Flowing Backwards

Apart from the countdown, do you know the bell tower can sing a song? And it once indeed sang.

The bell tower, initially chimed on the hour and sometimes chimed in the form of a song. Later it was adjusted to the silent mode, avoiding disturbing the regular teaching.

In May, 2011, after a night of thunder and lightening, students discovered that the pointers on the clock dial were moving backwards, which seemed like time flowing backwards in films. Someone shot that scene and uploaded it to the internet and it became quite popular among GDUFS’ers.

Lasting Love for the Bell Tower

“ Have you seen the bell tower at 4am?” said one president of GDUFS. This sentence encouraged lots of hardworking students at GDUFS to remain perseverant. The notion of cherishing time, embodied by the bell tower, has taken root in GDUFS’ers. While in early morning, students’ loud reading awakes the vitality of the teaching buildings, the bell tower witnesses the growth of GDUFS students.

The silent bell tower also takes on a somewhat mysterious facet, which motivates many students to come up with the idea of climbing up the tower. XIAO Chen, a student from the School of Journalism, once climbed the tower, but failed to enter the bell tower. She said she felt quite open-minded when she had a close look at it. As an amateur photographer, she came to the top of a teaching building with her friend to take photos of the bell tower.

Love for the bell tower, appreciation for GDUFS

Best Wishes to the Bell Tower

The bell tower means a lot to all GDUFS’ers. It is a time reminder, a landmark as well as a beacon. Lots of students expressed their love for the bell tower.

The bell tower is to the GDUFS south campus what the Xiangsi River is to the GDUFS north campus, for the bell tower adds massiveness to the south campus and the Xiangsi River adds softness to the north campus. Year in, year out, the bell tower is like a sage, recording moving stories and seeing our growth.