Former Site of the Shanghang County Normal School Training Institute

Former Site of the Shanghang County Normal School Training Institute

The former site of the Shanghang County Normal School Training Institute is a cultural relic protection unit of Fujian Province.

The former site of the Shanghang County Normal School Training Institute is located on Jiefang Road, Linjiang Town, Shanghang County, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

Description: Originally built in the 20th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1815), it faces south with a north orientation, covering an area of 4,572 square meters. The structure consists of upper, middle, and lower halls, three courtyards, a rear building, and left and right wing rooms. It has a total width of 31 meters and a depth of 81.60 meters. It is a single-story brick-and-wood structure with a mixed beam and bracket wooden frame system, and a flush-gable roof. In the 31st year of the Guangxu reign (1905), Qiu Fengjia, a patriotic poet, educator, and Taiwan resistance figure of the late Qing Dynasty, established the “Shanghang County Normal School Training Institute” at the ancestral Qiu family shrine in order to promote new-style education, advocating for saving and strengthening the nation through education. He rallied local gentry such as scholar Qiu Fu to contribute funding and labor. Courses offered included Chinese literature, English, mathematics, history and geography, botany, and more, cultivating key personnel for the development of new-style schools. The Shanghang County Normal School Training Institute was the earliest privately-run normal school established in Fujian Province.

Protected area: An additional 20 meters outward from all sides of the building.

In 2018, the former site of the Shanghang County Normal School Training Institute was designated as part of the ninth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units by the People’s Government of Fujian Province.

Linjiang Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Shanghang County. It is the county seat. In 1949, it was established as Fucheng District, became Chengguan Town in 1953, changed to a commune in 1958, re-established as a town in 1984, and renamed Linjiang Town in 1986. Located in the western part of the county, it covers an area of 4.9 square kilometers with a population of 30,000. National Highway 205 passes through the northern part of the town. It administers six neighborhood committees: Zhendong, Zhongzhong, Zhennan, Tianshan, Yingming, and Zhenxi. Local township enterprises include cold-working machinery plants, cement plants, paper foil plants, and daily bamboo and wood processing factories. Main products are transformers, fluorescent lamps, and cement. Agriculture mainly produces rice, vegetables, and flue-cured tobacco. 1993… Detailed information about Linjiang Town++

Further reading:

· Ninth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Fujian Province