Guangzhou Photo Gallery - Whampoa Military Academy

The Whampoa Military Academy was founded by Sun Yat-sen in 1924 to train military commanders and leaders. Funded by the Soviet Union, it is located east of the city on Changzhou Island. Getting here is a bit of an adventure in itself, although is relatively easy. Get off the metro at Yuzhu station on Line 5 or 13 and head south. Continue along Yuzhu Donglu towards the ferry pier, and pay 2 yuan to cross towards Changzhou. It will take 10-15 minutes from the station to the boats. These ferries are mostly standing-only with plenty of open space for motorcycles. As we crossed the Pearl River, I could see the city's skyline in the distance. Exit the pier and turn right. Continue along the narrow street with the small canal running beside it until reaching Junxiao Lu. Turn right and head all the way to the end, then turn right again for the academy's entrance. This is a fairly long walk, taking 15-20 minutes at a brisk pace. Unfortunately, the street signage isn't too helpful if you can't read Chinese. Junxiao is the Mandarin pronunciation for military academy and the blue text on the bottom left with the left arrow is pointing to the Huangpu Military Academy. The academy was mostly destroyed by Japanese bombings during World War II, and was reconstructed in the 1990s. I had booked an entry ticket online beforehand, anticipating huge crowds on the weekend. There were indeed a lot of tour groups but they seem to have forgotten the historic yellow building, Sun Yat-sen's former home, which now has a few exhibits of the area's maritime history. All the action was next door at the reconstructed academy where they showcase what life was like in training. 7-9pm is designated as self-studying time. There are other rooms with offices and the like. The academy not only taught military subjects, but also economics, politics, history, and more. After classes, students would come to the reading room, which has a selection of books and newspapers. Faculty, staff, officers, drillmasters, and commanders dined here, including Chiang Kai-shek. It was also used as a conference hall to raise funds to operate the academy. The Principal met his guests here or the officers could gather here, too. Chiang Kai-shek was appointed Principal in May 1924, working in this office. Other neighbouring rooms were offices for the Secretary Department, Academy Cadre, and Premier. While there are exhibition rooms downstairs, most rooms upstairs are off-limits to visitors, who can only peer in from the door or railings. This makes photography a bit easier as there won't be anyone in your way and you can see the entire room without anyone blocking your view.