At the end of the 19th century, a wealthy Chinese merchant, Lou Wa Sio (aka Lou Kau), bought a piece of land in the then Long Tin Village, Macao, with a plan to build a private garden. His eldest son, Lou Lim Iok financed and started building the garden in 1904, which was only completed in 1925. Formerly called Yu Yuen (Pleasure Garden), and better known as Lou Yuen (Lou Garden) and Lou Family Garden, it has the charm of a garden in the style of Jiangnan, particularly Suzhou. Dr. Sun Yat-sen stayed here during his visit to Macao in 1912.
The current administrative building of Macao Pui Ching Middle School was the former private residence and the main building of the Lou family’s Garden. The building is in eclectic style with a design of the facades influenced by European neoclassical architecture and an interior richly decorated with both Chinese and Western ornamental motifs.
In 1938, due to the outbreak of the Resistance War against Japanese Aggression, the Guangzhou Pui Ching Middle School relocated to Macao and rented the Lou Family Garden to continue its operation. After the war, the Macao branch continued to operate, and in 1947, it re-opened its junior high section. In 1952, the Macao Pui Ching Middle School purchased part of the land of the Lou Family Garden for building a permanent campus. In 1953, a senior high section was established, thus becoming a non-profit, private, secondary school. In the 1970s, the scenic garden of the former Yu Garden was restored by the Macao government and opened to the public as Lou Lim Ioc Garden.
The Guangzhou Pui Ching Middle School, established in 1889, was the first modern school in China established by Chinese Christians. In the 1930s, in response to the urgent need for social development, the Guangzhou Pui Ching Middle School opened a branch in Hong Kong in 1933 and relocated to Macao in 1938, thus establishing a presence in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. This reflects the educational continuity and shared heritage across these regions, symbolising the inheritance of educational ideals and inter-regional development, playing an important role in deepening co-operation and cultural exchanges among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.
