Nanjing Union Theological Seminary : New Campus

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

China * Theology * Seminary

Nanjing Union Theological Seminary is a national seminary of Chinese Protestant churches, established by the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee in November 1952. Nanjing seminary has, since its beginning, focussed on training pastoral workers, theological teachers and researchers who love both China and the Chinese Church, hold to the three-self principles and develop themselves fully in such five aspects as "Spirit, Virtue, Knowledge, Health and Community". The seminary education tries to equip the students with high spirituality and profound knowledge so that they can meet the needs of pastoral counselling and theological education in Chinese churches.

As the society is changing rapidly and the churches in China are growing dramatically, the theological education in China is facing new challenges. We need to try our best to improve both the physical facilities and faculty development of the seminary so that we can train more excellent talents for Chinese churches. Under the support of the Central and local government, TSPM and CCC, Nanjing Seminary is building a new campus in Jiangning District. This is the first project that is approved and financially supported by the central government, aiming to improve the physical facilities of religious institutes in China.

	"I expect the new seminary to be characterized by steadfast faith, excellent conduct and abundant knowledge. We share the love of God in this community, and we are also cultivated in character and virtue in the incarnation of Christ. I am confident that the future of Nanjing Seminary will be bright!" Bishop KH Ting Honorary Chairperson of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of the Chinese Protestant Churches Honorary President of the China Christian Council President of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary
	"May Nanjing Seminary be richly blessed by God as a garden for cultivating people's talents!" Presbyter Ji Jianhong Chairperson of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement Committee of the Chinese Protestant Churches & Executive Vice President of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary
	"We eagerly look forward to the early completion of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary's new campus so that she may train even more qualified personnel for Chinese churches nationwide." Reverend Cao Shengjie President of the China Christian Council

Religion * Simplicity * Architecture

On January 17, 2005, the ground-breaking ceremony for Nanjing Union Theological Seminary's new campus in the Jiangning Science and Technology Zone was held. Approximately 450 participants, including distinguished guest from partner churches and organizations, witnessed this holy occasion. Bishop K.H.Ting, Vice-Chairperson of the National CPPCC and President of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, made a wonderful speech to welcome the guests from home and abroad. Presbyter Ji Jianhong, Chairperson of the National TSPM, and Rev. Cao Shengjie, President of the CCC, attended the ceremony along with well-known former church leaders such as Mr. Luo Guanzong and Dr. Han Wenzao. Mr. Zhu Weiqun, Vice-Director of the National United Front and Mr. Ye Xiaowen, Director of the National Religious Affairs Bureau, also came to the ceremony to provide encouragement and support through their greetings. Additionally, congratulations were offered by distinguished overseas guests from the United States, Canada, Singapore, South Korea, and other nations, by friends from Hong Kong and Macao, and by representatives from other Chinese seminaries and Bible schools. Bishop Ting pointed out in his brief speech that Nanjing Seminary will be devoted to training more highly qualified workers for the Chinese church who are able to resonate with and respond to China's changing society, church workers who are not only well educated theologically, but also well-versed in fields of the humanities such as literature, poetry, philosophy and arts. The new campus will serve as a beautiful new blueprint for Chinese theological education.

At the groundbreaking ceremony

Experts evaluate the architectural design of the new campus

Bishop Ting meeting the architects who are designing the new campus

The new campus

The new campus is in the centre of Jiangning University City. Its total area covers 200.95 Chinese mu (approximately 33.5 acres or 124,067 square meters). The buildings will encompass 31,000 square meters and have the capacity to accommodate 500 students. The estimated construction cost for the new campus is approximately 140 million Chinese yuan. The goal is to start construction by the end of 2005 and to complete construction within two years.

The current design for the new campus includes the following: worship areas (including the campus church), teaching and administrative areas, a sports ground, a student residential area, and a front plaza. The architectural design takes into consideration both the distinctive character of Chinese Christianity and also the multi-function requirements of modern higher education. It attempts to represent the progress of Chinese society and the three-self principles of the Chinese church.

The campus church

The design of the campus church uses architectural language to express the Protestant Christian spirit in the Chinese context, with an emphasis on openness and artistic sensitivity.

The overall area of the seminary church is 5,760 square meters, and its layout is that of a typical Chinese house yard. The church building is multi-functional, and will be used for worship, art exhibitions and music appreciation. The design incorporates biblical motifs such as "Noah's Ark" and the "Peaceful Gospel." The roof of the main chapel is built in a traditional Chinese style, pointing out to the sky. At the entrance to the east chapel, there is a 58.8 meter high bell tower.

The new library

The library (6,063 square meters) consists of five stories, including a basement, and is divided into two wings. On the first floor of the east wing there is a hall, a check-out and catalogue area, book stacks and offices. On the second floor, there is a multi-function hall and a reading room, the third floor has an archive and a reading room, and the fourth floor has a language teaching classroom, a computer room and a reading room. In the west wing, there are halls, conference rooms, and offices. Additional book stacks, special collections, and equipment rooms are in the basement.

The outside wall of the library will adopt a traditional design, with gray stone slate roof tiles. Such a design fits the simple and natural ambiance of the seminary.

The main teaching building

The main teaching building (4,596 square meters) will be in the north part of campus, adjacent to the library and open to the living area and sports area.

The interior of the building consists of a single corridor, with the classrooms facing south. The building will accommodate classrooms, a teacher's lounge, a chapel for about 500 people, a devotional room, an internet service room, and an audio-visual media room.

The administrative building

The L-shaped administrative building (1,824 square meters) is to the east of the main entrance. The entrance is close to a courtyard so that visitors can enjoy a view of the pine trees on the campus. The first floor has a conference room and offices for administrative staff. The offices of the seminary presidents and other staff are on the second floor.

Construction budget for the new seminary

Project No.	Project Introduction	Quantity	Unit Price (10,000 Yuan)	Amount (10,000 Yuan)	Notes
1	Church	5761 sq.meters	1.053936	6071.72
1	Construction Work	5761 sq.meters	0.484386	2790.55
2	Art Decoration	5761 sq.meters	0.25	1440.25
3	Drainage System	5761 sq.meters	0.009248	53.28
4	Central Heating System	5761 sq.meters	0.060798	350.26
5	Strong Current System	5761 sq.meters	0.020788	119.76
6	Weak Current System	5761 sq.meters	0.014039	80.88
7	Landscape Project	13,082 sq. meters	0.005	65.41
8	Bronze Plate on Outer Wall	10,687.3 sq. meters	0.15	1603.1
9	Steel Cross	1 set	2	2
10	Air-conditioning Set Group	2 sets	65	130
11	Organ	1 set	1000	1000
12	Acoustic System	1 set	150	150
13	Inner Lighting System	1 set	100	100
14	Outside Lighting System	1 set	200	200
15	Chairs	1,500 seats	0.04	60
16	Multimedia System	1 set	50	50
2	Administrative Building	18,243 sq. meters	0.228832	417.39	1,390,000 RMB Yuan / floor
17	Air-conditioning System	1 set	72	72
18	Security System	1 set	30	30
19	Conference System	1 set	20	20
20	Elevator	1 set	30	30
3	Library	6,063 sq. meters	0.125917	763.4343	1,910,000 RMB Yuan / floor
21	Air-conditioning System	1 set	150	150
22	Constant Temperature and Humidity System	1 set	50	50
23	Fire Protection System	1 set	90	90
24	Library Management System	1 set	30	30
25	Elevator	1 set	30	30
26	Book Shelves (300,000 volumes)	1 set	60	60
27	Reading Tables and Chairs (300)	1 set	12	12
28	E-Reading Equipment	1 set	50	50
4	Classroom Building	4,569 sq. meters	0.127638	583.1797	1,460,000 RMB Yuan / floor
29	Air-conditioning System for the Lecture Theatre	1 set	27	27
30	Multimedia Teaching System	1 set	80	80
31	Music Teaching Equipment	50 sets	1	50
32	Classroom Tables and Chairs	1,200 sets	0.05	60
5	Gymnasium	1,634 sq. meters	0.164319	268.4976	670,000 RMB Yuan / floor
33	Court Lighting System	1 set	10	10
34	Court Board and Ball Stand	1 set	24	24
35	Electronic Display System	1 set	20	20
36	Track and Field Ground	1 set	150	150
37	Tennis Court	2 sets	15	30
38	Basketball Court	2 sets	8	16
6	Refectory	1,082 sq. meters	0.132527	143.1292	720,000 RMB Yuan / floor
39	Kitchen Facilities	1 set	80	80
40	Students' Refectory Facilities	500 sets	0.03	15
41	Teachers' Refectory Facilities	100 sets	0.03	3
7	Students' Dormitory		0.155725	1023.58	430,000 RMB Yuan / floor
42	Dormitory Facilities	500 sets	0.1	10
43	Broad Band System	1 set	20	20
8	Apartment for Foreign Professors	1,955 sq. meters	0.081302	159.5327	270,000 RMB Yuan / floor
44	Living Facilities	10 sets	2	20
9	Substation	1 set	304.996272	304.996272
45	Dry-type Transformer	2 sets	22	44
46	High Voltage Distributor	4 sets	16	64
47	Low Voltage Distributor	4 sets	10	40
10	Outdoor Project
48	Landscape Project	1 set	200	200
49	Water Treatment Project	1 set	72	72