Former Site of Recheng School

Former Site of Recheng School

The former site of Recheng School is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The former site of Recheng School is located in Dongpu Town, Shaoxing City, dating back to the Qing Dynasty and the Republican era.

According to the *Shaoxing Annals*: In the 30th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1904), Xu Xilin founded the school. It was named after a couplet he wrote: “Those with enthusiasm may study together; those with sincerity may enter this hall.” The school promoted military training and practiced coeducation. In the 33rd year of Guangxu (1907), after Xu Xilin’s uprising in Anqing failed, the school suffered damage. In the 4th year of the Republic of China (1915), the teaching building was destroyed in a fire and was later rebuilt using Xu Xilin’s pension.

The school’s entrance hall faces west, has three bays, is 14.25 meters wide, and 6.50 meters deep; above the stone gate is embedded a stone tablet inscribed horizontally in relief with the characters “Recheng School.” The teaching building is a Western-style structure, facing south, with eight bays, two stories, 29.80 meters wide, and 8.95 meters deep; the central two bays were used as the “Xu Xilin Memorial Hall,” with a plaque inscribed “Xu Xilin Memorial Hall” in the handwriting of Xu Shengweng hanging above the entrance. The interior displays historical materials about Xu’s life. To the north, the small pond where Xu Xilin hid guns is L-shaped; the open part is 7.85 meters long and 5.90 meters wide, while the hidden part is 10.95 meters long and 1.80 meters wide.

The school is now called Recheng Primary School in Dongpu Town.

On January 7, 2011, it was announced as part of the sixth batch of cultural relic protection units of Zhejiang Province.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Zhejiang Province