Former Site of Kuangcun Middle School

Former Site of Kuangcun Middle School

The former site of Kuangcun Middle School is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

In the first month of the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign (1907), Kuang Zhongmou established Kuangcun Primary School in his residence (Yangshuyuan, Wuxi). In the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927), he founded Kuangcun Junior High School, using the original primary school as its affiliated elementary school. It later became the predecessor of Jiangsu Xishan Senior High School.

The founder of Kuangcun Middle School, Kuang Zhongmou, whose given name was Qiyong, courtesy name Yufen, was born in the 3rd year of the Guangxu reign (1877). As a child, he studied and farmed in his hometown with his father. At the age of 20, he became an apprentice at Dasheng Textile & Cloth Shop in Shanghai, where he taught himself foreign languages in his spare time. During the Boxer Rebellion in the 26th year of Guangxu (1900), when the shop owner returned to his hometown to take refuge and left Kuang in charge, he managed the business alone for over a year and made a profit of more than 80,000 taels of silver. The shop owner praised him as the most honest, capable, and promising apprentice, and gifted him the Dasheng business along with 30,000 taels of silver. Building on this foundation, in the 28th year of Guangxu (1902), Kuang established the Yadong Cotton Company in Shanghai, marking the beginning of his career in industry.

While developing his business ventures, Kuang Zhongmou was also enthusiastic about supporting education. In 1907, he founded Kuangcun Primary School in his hometown, later adding a higher primary school and Kuangcun Middle School. Due to his dedication to public welfare, he was commended by the government of the Republic of China and awarded a first-class certificate by the Ministry of Education. He waived tuition fees for all children with the surname Kuang, laying a solid foundation for improving the overall educational level of the region.

From 1946 to 1950, Kuang Zhongmou also served as the principal of Kuangcun Middle School. In 1952, the school became a public institution and was successively renamed Wuxi County Middle School, Xishan City Middle School, and Jiangsu Xishan Senior High School, growing into a prestigious century-old school well-known across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and the nation.

The school produced numerous notable figures including the “Kuang Family Trio of Experts”—Kuang Dingbo, Kuang Peigen, and Kuang Peizi—modern physics pioneer Hu Guozhang, pioneer of China’s aerospace industry Yin Wenyou, the first president of Jiangnan University Zhang Yuanruo, as well as tens of thousands of other scientists, entrepreneurs, and talented individuals.

The former site of Kuangcun Middle School is a well-preserved, standalone quadrangle courtyard. It houses three school buildings from the Republican era along with side wings, which have now been repurposed into the Kuang Zhongmou Memorial Hall, the School History Exhibition Hall, and the “Xi Flow” Memorial Hall. There are also two school buildings from the 1960s, an old school gate (the east gate), which remain in use.

The campus environment is tranquil and preserves inscribed stelae with dedications from high-ranking officials of the Nationalist government and notable figures during the school’s 30th anniversary. Ancient and rare trees are well protected, and a white marble bust of Kuang Zhongmou stands prominently in the center of the school courtyard.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province