The construction work of the School of Chinese commenced in 1929 with a generous donation from Mr Tang Chi-ngong, father of Sir Tang Shiu-kin, a well-known local philanthropist. The School of Chinese was then named after him. The commemorative plaque in the entrance hall and the two marble plaques, embedded inside the building recorded that the building was formally opened by Sir William Peel, the then Governor of Hong Kong, on September 28, 1931.

After the seventies, the classrooms have been used for several other purposes but the name of the building sill remains unchanged. At present, it houses the Centre of Asia Studies. It is a 3-storey flat-roofed building with Shanghai plaster surfacing. The Building, being one of the oldest buildings in the University and in Hong Kong, was declared an historic monument in 1995 by the Hong Kong Government.