The small wooden building of the Kai Ping County Junior High School

The small wooden building of the Kai Ping County Junior High School

The small wooden building of the Kai Ping County Junior High School is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Liaoning Province.

The small wooden building of the Kai Ping County Junior High School is located on the campus of the No.1 Senior High School in Qi Xiang Li, Xing Xin Community, Gaizhou City. Constructed in 1926, this two-story wooden building faces south and features a hip-and-gable roof with blue bricks and red tiles. It has now been divided into 8 rooms. The building is 46.8 meters long from east to west and 9.9 meters wide from north to south, with a construction area of 463.32 square meters, a eaves height of 8.17 meters, and 13 wall buttresses along both its northern and southern walls. Thirteen wooden four-sided porch columns stand in front of the building, resting on waist-shaped plinths. Stairs on both the eastern and western sides lead up to the building, and arched doorways are built into the horse-head walls on those sides.

The early days of the school (1910–1923). According to the "Gaizhou County Annals," after the imperial examination system was abolished in the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1906), the Chen Zhou Academy in Gaizhou County was transformed into the Gaizhou County Normal School for Elementary Education. In the 2nd year of the Xuantong reign (1910), two junior high school classes were established within the Normal School, enrolling 121 students under the leadership of Principal Li Yuxiang (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). This marked the beginning of the establishment of Gaizhou County Middle School, the precursor to today’s No.1 Senior High School in Gaizhou City.

A period of twists, turns, and difficult development. Since its founding in 1910, the Kai Ping County Junior High School had always been attached to the County Normal School for Elementary Education. It wasn’t until February 1923, due to the closure of that school, that the Kai Ping County Junior High School was able to become an independent institution.

In 1924, Yang Zhuochen, the head of the education department (equivalent to today's director of education), and Sun Bairu, the principal of the middle school, jointly petitioned Shi Xiufeng, the then county magistrate, to construct new school buildings due to the increasing number of students in the junior high school and the resulting shortage of facilities. After conducting an on-site investigation, Shi Xiufeng sought approval from Governor Mo, which was granted. Construction of the new school buildings began in 1926 — this is the two-story small wooden building that still stands at the center of the campus. By 1927, all new constructions including 24 rooms in the building, 32 tiled houses, and 44 bungalows were completed, and the school moved in that same year. The small wooden building remains as striking as ever to this day, and in 1928, Shi Xiufeng even composed a commemorative inscription for it.

Nearly a century of history at Gaizhou No.1 High School has nurtured countless talents. Notable alumni include the famous calligrapher Mr. Shen Yanyi; Mr. Sun Pinghua, president of the China-Japan Friendship Association; Mr. Lü Gongmei, a renowned poet and essayist in Liaoning Province; martyr Luo Changwei, who was both the earliest principal of the school and the county magistrate; martyr Mu Yue, who shed blood in Shanxi; martyr Hua Xilu, a patriotic poet; Mr. Chen Xiaobai, the first Party branch secretary; Major Generals Huo Guangyao and Song Xulun; Liu Jiguo and Chen Jining (current president of Tsinghua University); as well as elite athletes such as Wang Haichuan and Wang Lina, who were selected from the school’s sports program to join the national men’s and women’s volleyball teams.

In 2014, the People's Government of Liaoning Province (Liao Zheng Fa [2014] No. 27) announced the small wooden building of the Kai Ping County Junior High School as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit.

Source of information: Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television. Contributor: Dong Wenjie

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