St. John's University Tao Fen Building

The cornerstone laying ceremony of懷施堂 (Huai Shi Tang) was held on January 26, 1894. The original courtyard building, constructed in April 1879, was demolished, and its cornerstones were used for the new building to symbolize continuity. The completion ceremony took place on February 19, 1895. The building covers a land area of 3,242 square meters and a construction area of 5,061 square meters. It is a brick-wood structure with 87 rooms. This first major building of St. John's University was overseen and constructed by its American president, Francis L.H. Pott. The construction cost 26,000 US dollars (equivalent to 31,834 taels of silver), of which 20,000 US dollars were raised in the United States, and the rest in China. At the building's completion ceremony, it was officially named Huai Shi Tang in memory of the university's founder, Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky. Schereschewsky (1831–1906), born in Lithuania of Jewish descent, lost his father at a young age and was educated by a Jewish rabbi during his childhood. In 1854 (at the age of 24), he went to the United States and converted to Christianity. He came to China in 1859 as a missionary. He could read 20 languages and speak 13, and had a deep understanding of Chinese language and literature. He made significant contributions to the translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer into classical Chinese. In 1877, Schereschewsky was appointed Bishop of Shanghai by the American Episcopal Church. Recognizing the Chinese tradition of respecting teachers and valuing education, he advocated for and founded St. John's College. In the early days after its completion, the building housed classrooms, a dining hall, and a library on the ground floor, with student dormitories on the upper floor. The library was moved to Si Yan Tang after its completion in 1904. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, students and faculty of St. John's University, in memory of Zou Taofen, a 1921 graduate, requested that Huai Shi Tang be renamed Tao Fen Building. The name change was approved by the East China Military and Political Committee in 1951. After the establishment of East China College of Political Science and Law in 1952, the building's first floor was used as classrooms, and the second floor as student dormitories. After the university reopened in 1979, the second floor was gradually converted into classrooms. Tao Fen Building is a representative teaching building of East China University of Political Science and Law.