Former Site of Jin Tang School

Former Site of Jin Tang School

The former site of Jin Tang School is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of Jin Tang School is located in Guanhaiwei Town, next to the former residence of Wu Jintang. It was independently established by the patriotic overseas Chinese Wu Jintang in the 31st year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty, with the goal of revitalizing China and enlightening its people. The overall construction of the school was grand in scale, featuring a square-shaped teaching building with a total of 104 rooms, along with 19 miscellaneous single-story buildings. It also had a playground, garden, water reservoir, and a school river. The entire project took three years and cost over 230,000 silver dollars. In the memorial submitted to Emperor Guangxu by the Zhejiang Governor requesting recognition, it was referred to as “the crown of private schools in Zhejiang.” What remains today is the main structure — a two-story teaching building with a European-style square layout. Each room is 6.6 meters deep, with a 1.6-meter front eave corridor. The central square courtyard is planted with flowers and trees, creating an independent and elegant learning environment. The upper floor features wooden flooring, iron railings, and arched decorations between beams and pillars. The roof is covered with small blue tiles, while the walls are built with staggered blue bricks and white lime joints.

Mr. Wu Jintang’s goal in establishing the school was to enrich the nation and strengthen its people. Although the school was built during the feudal society of the late Qing Dynasty, its European-style buildings, advanced educational facilities, innovative curriculum, and emphasis on practical skills made a refreshing impression on the people of that time. The school offered subjects such as geometry, algebra, foreign languages, and horticulture, and provided laboratories, cotton fields, and mulberry gardens for student practice. To implement his vision of patriotism and love for one’s hometown, Mr. Wu actively petitioned the provincial government to officially register the school, stipulating in writing that all school property was public and that future generations could not interfere. He also purchased over 1,200 acres of school farmland and invested 40,000 silver dollars in shares of the Han-Yeh-Ping Company and the Zhejiang Railway Bureau to secure long-term funding for the school. When commenting on national education efforts, Mr. Cai Yuanpei referred to Wu Jintang, Tan Kah Kee, and Nie Yuntai as the “Three Sages of Education in China.”

Mr. Wu Jintang passed away in 1926. In 1930, his son Qi Fan petitioned the Zhejiang Provincial Government to take over the school, which was renamed “Zhejiang Provincial Jin Tang School” in August of the following year. From its founding to the present, Jin Tang School has been in existence for nearly a century. Over the long years, the school has weathered many storms and undergone several name changes, but it has never ceased its educational mission. Even during the difficult years of the War of Resistance, classes were not interrupted. With its strong school ethos, it has nurtured generations of outstanding talents, including Zhuo Lanfang, an early leader of the peasant movement in the province; the famous calligrapher Sha Menghai; the renowned meticulous flower-and-bird painter Chen Zhifo; and Zhao Songting, known as the “Flute King of the South.”

In April 1984, to honor Mr. Wu Jintang’s patriotic and philanthropic efforts in education, the Ningbo Municipal People’s Government approved the restoration of the school’s original name, “Zhejiang Cixi Jin Tang Normal School.” In 1985, Chen Deren, a leader of the overseas Chinese community in Kobe, Japan, was appointed as the honorary principal of Jin Tang Normal School. In 1986, the Cixi County People’s Government listed Jin Tang Normal School as a third batch cultural relics protection unit. In 1991, “Zhejiang Cixi Jin Tang Normal School” relocated to Hushan Town, and the former site was renamed “Cixi Jin Tang Vocational Senior High School.” In March 2005, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit. In March 2013, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The experience of Jin Tang in running the school served as a precursor to the integration of theory and practice in secondary education in China, exerting a profound influence on the development of education in Cixi and even the broader social progress of the region.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) announced the former site of Jin Tang School as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Information provided by: Cixi Cultural Relics Management Office

Guanhaiwei Town: Located in the eastern part of Cixi City, Guanhaiwei Town covers a total area of 150.20 square kilometers, with a population of 200,000, including 50,000 migrants. Guanhaiwei is the eastern wing of Cixi City’s “one body, two wings” urban development strategy, and is recognized as a municipal and provincial central town in Ningbo, as well as a pilot town for comprehensive reform in small towns across the province.

Guanhaiwei Town enjoys favorable conditions for economic development, and its economy and various social undertakings have achieved significant progress. In 2001, the town’s gross domestic product was 2.064 billion yuan, per capita GDP was 13,760 yuan, and fiscal revenue was 114 million yuan. Guanhaiwei... More detailed information about Guanhaiwei Town++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units