Jimei Returnees Hall

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Jimei Returnees' Hall
Adapted from "Amoy Magic--Guide to Xiamen and Fujian"
Jimei Links: Jimei Univ.Tan Kah Kee Biography Jimei Primary SchoolJimei Turtle Garden (鳌园),Returnees Hall(归来堂)Dragon Boat Races(龙舟)Yanping (Delayed Peace) Old Fortress(延平故垒)Jixing Causeway(集杏海堤)Xiamen Bridge

Returnees Hall (Guīlái Táng, 归来堂 ), Tan Kah Kee’s former home, is near the Jīměi Middle School on Jiāgēng Rd. The house is said to be typical South Fújiàn construction, with white walls and a green tile roof, but it doesn’t look Fújiàn to me (others say it is Western-style).

Mr. Tan lived here from 1919 to 1922 as he established Xiàmén University and expanded Jīměi School. Japanese bombers destroyed the house in 1938, but when Beijing offered to rebuilt it after Liberation, Tan insisted that the school buildings be repaired first. His home was rebuilt in 1955 and he lived here from 1958 until he moved to Beijing in 1960. A busy many right up until his death, he served as a Deputy to the Central Government, Chairman of the All-China Federation of Overseas Returnees, and member of the People’s Congress Standing Committee (why do they never sit?).

In 1980, the home was restored to its original design, and in 1983 it was designated the “Returnees Garden to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Jīměi Primary School. (The inner structure of the house is said to be shaped like the Chinese character Huí, 回, meaning “return”).
Memorabilia include rare photos, the battered suitcases, shoes and umbrella that Tan used for decades.

The ground floor is now a meeting place for the Jīměi School Committee; and the second floor has Mr. Tan’s personal effects, as well as his drawing-room, workroom, bedroom, dining room and library. The Tan Kah Kee Exhibition Hall (Chén Jiāgēng Shēngpíng Chénlièguǎn 陈嘉庚生平陈列馆) beside the residence has more exhibits about this amazing philanthropist.
The center of the garden has a 2.3 meter bronze state of Mr. Tan, hat and stick in hand.

The folding black screen in the hall has the memorial speech from August 15, 1961. When the famous poet Mr. Guō Mòruò (郭沫若) visited Jīměi in 1962, he wrote the hall’s couplet: