Tianjin Nankai High School
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Tianjin Nankai High School () is a college-preparatory high school in
Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
, China. This is the original Nankai High School, and it is often referred to as Nankai High School in Tianjin to differentiate it from
Chongqing Nankai Middle School Chongqing Nankai Middle School () is a senior high school in Chongqing, China. It is located in Chenjiawan, Shapingba District. In a 2016 ranking of Chinese high schools that send students to study in American universities, Chongqing Nankai Midd ...
, its sister school in
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
. Nankai is notable as one of the first modern secondary schools in China, and boasts several of the most notable men in modern Chinese history as its alumni. The main campus is located on 22 Nankai 4th Rd in
Nankai District Nankai District () is a district of Tianjin, People's Republic of China. Nankai District borders the Hai River in the east and Chentangzhuang Railway in the west and south. A number of important Tianjin landmarks lie in the district including the ...
. The other two campuses are in Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city and Haihe Jiaoyu Yuanqu, Tianjin.


History

Nankai High School was founded in 1904 by
Yan Xiu Yan Xiu (; 12 April 1860 – 15 March 1929), also known as Yan Fansun, was a Chinese educator who, with Zhang Boling, founded Nankai University and the Nankai system of schools. Early life Yan Xiu was born on 12 April 1860 into a salt m ...
(also known as Yan Fansun). Nankai was originally a private school, featuring a western-style college-preparatory curricula instead of a traditional Confucian curriculum. It was the first school in the Nankai Family of Schools. This system would latter be expanded to include
Nankai University Nankai University (NKU or Nankai; ) is a national public research university located in Tianjin, China. It is a prestigious Chinese state Class A Double First Class University approved by the central government of China, and a member of the fo ...
in 1919. Nankai University would become one of China's most prestigious universities."Introduction" ''Nankai Middle School''


Establishment

Before his work at Nankai, Yan Xiu was an intellectual with a strong understanding of traditional Chinese culture who had held positions at the prestigious
Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed sec ...
earlier in his career, and in both China's provincial and central governments. The difficulties that confronted China in the late nineteenth century led Yan to become interested in Western and Japanese models of education, to which he attributed the contemporary strength of the West and Japan. Yan's experiences working within the Chinese bureaucracy led him to believe that only the most progressive reforms could save China from further decline.Barnoun and Yu 15 Yan Xiu belonged to a group of reform-minded intellectuals who, in 1905, presented a memorial that suggested abolishing the traditional examination system, focused on knowledge of the
Confucian classics Chinese classic texts or canonical texts () or simply dianji (典籍) refers to the Chinese texts which originated before the imperial unification by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, particularly the "Four Books and Five Classics" of the Neo-Confucian ...
, to a system of education focused on practical knowledge. Yan's memorial was well received by the
Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
government, which was by then interested in reform as a way to preventing the dynasty from destruction. After he had received a mandate for reform, Yan took part in a large-scale educational reform aimed at modernizing the educational institutions throughout China. After the Qing dynasty was abolished in the 1911
Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a d ...
, Yan was offered several high-level government positions, but refused them all in preference to devoting his time and energy to the establishment of Nankai. After 1911 Yan Xiu appointed
Zhang Boling Chang Po-ling (; April 5, 1876 – February 23, 1951) was a Chinese educator who, with Yan Xiu, founded Nankai University and the Nankai system of schools. Biography Chang Po-ling was born in Tianjin in 1876 during the last years of the Qin ...
as Nankai's principal. Zhang had been a well-known advocate for reform and moral renewal during the Qing. By the time of his appointment, Zhang had already gained a reputation as a progressive modernist, advocating the inclusion of Western sciences and physical exercise into the Chinese curriculum. After his appointment as Nankai's principle, Zhang gained a reputation for pioneering educational methods that would be widely emulated throughout China within his lifetime.


During the Second Sino-Japanese War

By 1936, war between China and Japan seemed inevitable. The city of Tianjin was located near the Japanese puppet state of
Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China, Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 afte ...
and was vulnerable to a Japanese attack in the event of war. In anticipation of this war, the administration of the Nankai Schools established another high school in
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
, far to the southwest in the interior of China. This school would become known as Nankai High School in Chongqing. When the
War of Resistance against Japan The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...
began in September 1937, all the faculty and students at Nankai High School were evacuated to the sister school in Chongqing, where the school would remain for the duration of the war. Nankai University and other Chinese universities were also evacuated to the cities of
Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...
and (later)
Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...
. After the war ended in 1945, Nankai High School was relocated back to its original campus in Tianjin. However, the Nankai High School in Chongqing remained in operation and still exists to this day.


Education


After 1911

After his appointment as principle, Zhang Boling implemented a synthesis of Japanese and American methods that were grounded in traditional Chinese concepts of self-cultivation. Zhang devised Nankai's curriculum in the attempt to produce students who could overcome the five illnesses that Zhang believed afflicted China in his time: ignorance; weakness; poverty; disunity; and selfishness. Zhang believed that only an education that combined physical education, group activities, scientific education, and moral cultivation could produce leaders who would later contribute to rebuilding China. Zhang created a school motto composed of the characters ''gong'' (public spirit) and ''neng'' (ability), expressing his hope that his students would develop into leaders with a spirit of integrity, dedication, and civic responsibility who would also have the practical abilities necessary to confront China's difficulties. Nankai was a boarding school with strict schedules, discipline, and moral codes, and promoted a strict daily schedule of student activities, similar to contemporary British schools. Zhang placed great importance on physical activity, and worked hard to break down traditional Chinese attitudes of contempt for physical exercise and manual labour. Zhang considered himself as both a teacher and a role model to his students, attempting to personally instruct them in basic principles of hygiene, eating with students, and participating in their exercises. Zhang's close association with his students was unusual in China (and elsewhere), but contributed to the admiration that most of his students reportedly felt for him throughout their lives.Barnoun and Yu 16


Today

Today, Nankai High School is a public school best known for its success in preparing students for the National College Entrance Examination 高考 (Gāokǎo). The graduates of the school are typically admitted to the best universities in China and around the world. Its college-preparatory curricula covers a wide range of subjects in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. The school also encourages its students to take part in various academic extracurricular activities, including the International Science Olympiad. Between 1998 and 2005, four Nankai students became IPhO gold medal winners. Nankai students also received gold medals in IMO, IChO, IBO, and IOI. Admission to Nankai High School is usually selective and is based on an applicant's primary school grades and performance on an entrance exam. In 2005, 4,000 students were admitted to Nankai. The school is supported by 300 faculty and staff. The current school principal is Ma Yuemei. In the early 2000s the school established a twinning relationship with a school in the United Kingdom,
Manningtree Manningtree is a town and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England, which lies on the River Stour. It is part of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Natural Beauty. Smallest town claim Manningtree has traditionally claimed to b ...
High School. Following the establishment of this relationship, students from both schools visited each other in a series of exchange visits. The most recent visit was in 2008, where Nankai hosted Manningtree during the Beijing Olympics.


Notable alumni


Zhou Enlai

The most famous graduate of Nankai High School was
Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...
, the first
Premier of the People's Republic of China The premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the premier of China and sometimes also referred to as the prime minister, is the head of government of China and leader of the State Council. The premier is ...
. Zhou's skill in literature and composition won him several awards and scholarships, and caught the attention of Nankai's founder, Yan Xiu. Yan once proposed that Zhou marry his daughter, but Zhou declined. Zhou later explained (to a classmate,
Zhang Honghao Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zh ...
) that his decision not to marry Yan's daughter was due to fears that Zhou could not financially support a family, and that Yan, as his father-in-law, would dominate Zhou's future. Zhou's accomplishments and personal qualities led him to be selected as the speaker at his graduating class, in June 1917. Zhou's experience at Nankai has been cited as a foundation of Zhou's emotional resilience and intellectual growth. Zhang's teachings of ''gong'' and ''neng'' had been so deeply ingrained in Zhou that he left the school with a great desire to pursue public service, and to acquire the skills necessary to do so. Zhou's participation in debates and stage performances at Nankai contributed to the eloquence and persuasiveness that Zhou would later display throughout his political career.


Others

Several other national leaders were also graduates from the school, including another Chinese Premier,
Wen Jiabao Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy ...
, several university presidents, and more than sixty academicians. Since established in 2001, seven recipients of the annual Top National Scientist Awards were Nankai High School graduates, including Liu Dongsheng (2003), Ye Duzheng (2005),
Wu Liangyong Wu Liangyong (, born 7 May 1922) is a Chinese architect and urban planner. He was a former professor in urban planning, architecture, and design. In preparation to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he was leading the team that studied the bui ...
(2011) and
Zhang Cunhao Zhang Cunhao (; born 23 February 1928) is a Chinese physical chemist and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Biography Zhang was born in Tianjin, on February 23, 1928, to Zhang Zhu (), an engineer, and Long Wenyuan (). Zhang's yo ...
(2013). Famous Nankai alumni include: *
Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...
(b. 1898), Chinese Premier (1949–1976) *
Wu Dayou Wu Ta-You () (27 September 1907 – 4 March 2000) was a Chinese physicist and writer who worked in the United States, Canada, mainland China and Taiwan. He has been called the Father of Chinese Physics. Early life and education Wu was born i ...
, President of
Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...
(1983–1994) * Qian Siliang, President of
Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...
(1960–1983) *
Zhou Guangzhao Zhou Guangzhao (; born May 15, 1929) is a Chinese theoretical physicist who served as President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences from 1987 to 1997. Early life and education Zhou Guangzhao was born on May 15, 1929 in Changsha, the capital of ...
, President of Chinese Academy of Sciences (1987–1997) *
Zhu Guangya Zhu Guangya (; December 25, 1924 – February 26, 2011) was a Chinese nuclear physicist. Zhu Guangya was noted for his dedication to the Chinese nuclear development, and his great devotion for his country. Zhu Guangya graduated from the Natio ...
, first President of Chinese Academy of Engineering (1994–1998) *
Wen Jiabao Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy ...
(b. 1942), Chinese Premier (2003-2013) *
Zou Jiahua Zou Jiahua (born October 1926) is a retired high-ranking politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as China's Vice Premier from 1991 to 1998, Vice-Chairman of the 9th National People's Congress from 1998 to 2003, and was a member ...
(b. 1926), Chinese Vice-Premier (1991–1998) *
Mei Yiqi Mei Yiqi or Mei Yi-chi (; 29 December 1889 – 19 May 1962), courtesy name Yuehan (), was a Chinese politician, physicist and educator, who served two separate terms as Ministry of Education of the Republic of China, from 1948 to 1949 and from 19 ...
, first President of
Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...
(1931–1948 and 1955–1962) * Chang Li-sheng, Vice Premier of the Republic of China (1950–1954) *
Mao Yushi Mao Yushi (; born 14 January 1929 in Nanjing, Jiangsu) is a Chinese economist. Mao graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1950 and was labeled a 'rightist' in 1958. In 1986, Mao was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, and in 1990 ...
, economist *
Cao Yu Cao Yu (, September 24, 1910 — December 13, 1996) was a Chinese playwright, often regarded as one of China's most important of the 20th century. His best-known works are ''Thunderstorm'' (1933), ''Sunrise'' (1936) and ''Peking Man'' (1940). ...
, dramatist *
Jiao Juyin Jiao may refer to: *Horn (Chinese constellation), or Jiao (角宿), a Chinese constellation *Jiaolong, or Jiao (蛟), a Chinese dragon *Jiao (currency) (角), a unit of currency in China, one-tenth of a Chinese yuan or dollar *Jiao (surname) ( ...
, director * Zhou Zhongzheng, painter * Wu Yuzhang, painter *
Zhou Ruchang Zhou Ruchang (; April 14, 1918 – May 31, 2012), was a Chinese writer noted for his study of the novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber'' by Cao Xueqin. He is regarded as among the most renowned and influential redologists of the 20th century. In a ...
, writer * Mu Dan, poet In addition to its alumni, several famous writers were once members of the faculty at Nankai High School, including: * Lao She, playwrightVohra, p
19
*
He Qifang He Qifang (5 February 1912 – 24 July 1977; ) was a Chinese poet, essayist, literary critic and redologist. He was born in Wanxian, Sichuan Province, which is now Wanzhou District, Chongqing Municipality. He studied Philosophy at Peking Uni ...


Footnotes


See also

* Chongqing Nankai High School * Education in the People's Republic of China


References

* Barnouin, Barbara and Yu Changgen
''Zhou Enlai: A Political Life''
Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. . * "Introduction" ''Nankai Middle School''. China Service Mall. Retrieved at on May 31, 2011. *
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
br>article, July 14, 2005 (p. 13)
* PhD dissertation: Sarah Coles McElroy, Transforming China through Education: Yan Xiu, Zhang Boling, and the Effort to Build a New School System, 1901–1927, Yale University, 1996 * Vohra, Ranbir. ''Lao She and the Chinese Revolution''. Harvard University Asia Center, 1974. Volume 55 of Harvard East Asian Monographs. {{ISBN, 0674510755, 9780674510753.


External links


Nankai High School
(Chinese)
The Second Nankai High School
(Chinese)
Sichuan Zigong Shuguang High School
(Chinese) Educational institutions established in 1904 High schools in Tianjin 1904 establishments in China Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Tianjin