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in tongzhou, luhe middle school is a household name. it is a century-old school with a glorious history. what is less known is that there are at least 9 schools with a century-old history like luhe middle school in tongzhou!

what does the campus look like today after a century of development? what is so special about its educational philosophy? what touching stories have happened there? at the beginning of the new semester, the reporter visited two of them.

the xie's building of luhe middle school is ancient and quaint. photo by our reporter bai jikai

tongzhou no. 2 middle school still retains century-old buildings such as yingzhu tower. photo by our reporter bai jikai

luhe middle school

“people who walk out of here must not have any disease in their legs.”

in early autumn, when you walk into luhe middle school, the campus is as beautiful as a painting. different from the hustle and bustle of the market outside the school, the campus is open, quiet, majestic and dignified. the xie building, wei building, wen building, dining hall, xiehe lake, botang pavilion and other ancient buildings make it easy for people to feel the long history and profound culture of the school.

in tongzhou, luhe middle school is a well-known brand. its founding history can be traced back to 1867. it was originally luhe boys' school and luhe academy, and then developed into union academy and north china union university. in 1918, north china union university, huiwen university and north china union women's university merged to form the famous yenching university. all the assets of the former north china union university were inherited by its zhaibu and left at the original site in tongzhou. it was officially named private luhe middle school and continues to this day.

the history of more than 100 years is fully reflected in the campus buildings: after entering the east gate, there is a wide track and field on the left, which was called tang's playground in ancient times. on the right is the spectacular luyou gymnasium, which was first funded and built by mr. yi fuen, a 1933 alumnus in the 1990s. a corridor running from east to west is named wenbin road, in memory of the martyr zhou wenbin, a 1928 alumnus who established the first party branch of the communist party of china in tongzhou. going forward, you will enter the modern school building complex in tongzhou, which has accumulated for a century and is scattered in an orderly manner. the old buildings echo the ancient locust trees and green grass, which are recognized as the soul of luhe...

what makes people sigh more than the vicissitudes of life in the building is the educational philosophy that has been passed down for a hundred years. during the interview, the reporter learned that as early as 1927, chen changyou, the first chinese principal of luhe middle school, introduced the concept of "personality education" into school practice, advocating teaching students in accordance with their aptitude and cultivating sound personality. this concept has now become an important theoretical support for the educational reform and development of luhe middle school, and has been continuously given new connotations in the practical exploration of teaching and educating people.

the far-reaching influence of the concept of "personality education" can be seen from a short story: on april 5, 1999, qingming festival, a large number of alumni who studied at luhe middle school in the 1930s and 1940s returned to their alma mater and made a special trip to pay homage to chen changyou's tomb on dechen mountain in luyuan. when mr. hou renzhi, a famous historical geographer who was nearly 90 years old at the time, got off the car, he declined the teacher who came to help him, pointed to the land under his feet, and said proudly to zhang shiyi, the then principal: "people who walk out of here must not have sick legs."

this seemingly ordinary joke soon became a legend among teachers and students of luhe middle school. mr. hou's words were actually a double entendre, not only showing that he is still strong despite his old age, but also expressing his gratitude to luhe middle school for giving him a strong physique and a sound personality.

today, luhe middle school continues to write the glory of the past century, with new nodes and new atmospheres. for example, in october 2018, the first "qian xuesen class" in tongzhou district was settled in luhe middle school, marking that the school's educational and teaching strength has reached a new level. entering the era of the city's sub-center, luhe middle school actively integrated into the trend of coordinated development of beijing, tianjin and hebei, and established the sanhe campus of luhe middle school in sanhe city, langfang, hebei. through the "qinglan plan", the level of local teachers has been improved, allowing more children to enjoy quality education.

tongzhou no.2 middle school

“we don’t ask everyone to go to school, but we ask everyone to become a talent”

not far from luhe middle school is another century-old school in tongzhou, tongzhou district no. 2 middle school. the predecessor of this middle school was anshixue daoyuan, which was established in 1904 and has a history of 120 years. in 1926, the school was renamed fuyu girls' school. in 1960, it became a coeducational school. in 1974, a high school class was added and it developed into a complete middle school. by 2017, according to the plan of the tongzhou district education commission, it stopped recruiting high school students and began to recruit elementary school students. tongzhou no. 2 middle school is currently a nine-year school.

when you enter the campus, the first thing that catches your eye is a 350-year-old, towering ancient locust tree. although the campus is not large, it is full of flowers and trees, and is picturesque in all seasons. the campus still retains century-old buildings such as yingzhu building, cuibai building, library and fuyu building, so teachers and students can step into history while working and attending classes.

according to the teachers, the school has been adhering to the concept of "everything for the development of students" since its establishment. from the anshi academy's poverty alleviation, to the enlightenment of fuyu girls' school, from the teaching of students in accordance with their aptitude at hebei provincial junior high school, to "not asking everyone to go to school, but asking everyone to become a talent", "knowing gratitude, understanding responsibility, making choices, and loving life", to "students grow up in an all-round and healthy way, teachers work scientifically and happily, and the school develops harmoniously and connotatively". along the way, these school-running concepts have been passed down from generation to generation, and have been continuously innovated and developed, becoming a vivid portrayal of the school-running practice of tongzhou no. 2 middle school.

good school-running traditions have created an innovative school-running model. in 1990, the school boldly tried the experiment of senior high school diversion, which received attention, support and affirmation from all walks of life. on august 20, 1991, the front page of beijing daily published "tongxian no. 2 middle school's new way of senior high school diversion", praising the school for truly teaching students in accordance with their aptitude and giving them what they deserve. the "fuyu chorus" of tongzhou no. 2 middle school, founded in 1988, has been in operation for 36 years. the choir has represented tongzhou district in municipal performances many times, and has permeated generations of no. 2 middle school students with aesthetic education.

to date, under the new situation of comprehensive education reform and high-quality development in the new era, tongzhou no. 2 middle school has established a school-running philosophy of "growth education" based on culture, and achieved the all-round development of students by creating an educational environment suitable for the development needs of teachers and students. the school has developed distinctive "growth courses" and a series of activities, such as the "fat to strong" training camp and the "sunny youth" myopia prevention and control campaign, to help children develop healthily and grow happily.

thousands of hammers

each century-old school has its own unique educational philosophy

except for luhe middle school and tongzhou no. 2 middle school, which still retain their original locations, the other seven century-old schools have changed their locations and it is difficult to find traces of the vicissitudes of history. they include: hounancang primary school founded in 1903, zhongshan street primary school built in lugou bridge, wanping county in 1912, gongyuan primary school founded in 1903, zhangjiawan town central primary school founded in 1906, tongzhou district teachers training center experimental school founded in 1904, nanguan primary school founded in 1905 and xianxian town central primary school founded in 1906.

these century-old schools have gone through thousands of trials and tribulations, and now each has its own characteristics. the "personality education" of luhe has become a cultural symbol after generations of exploration and practice. the high school diversion experiment of tongzhou no. 2 middle school has established a teaching model in accordance with students' aptitude to cultivate students' strengths. the "science and technology education" of hounancang primary school has formed a system to cultivate students' innovative qualities. gongyuan primary school proposed the "mingyuan education" school-running philosophy to cultivate chinese teenagers who are full of the elegance and magnanimity of scholars and the responsibility of their country. zhongshan street primary school's "art education" has become a feature, educating people with beauty. zhangjiawan town central primary school's "being the master" education has been passed on from generation to generation. the tongzhou district teachers' training center experimental school takes "respecting research and reality, working together to gather wisdom, and lighting up life" as its school-running philosophy, and cultivates "behavioral norms, healthy and positive, elegant manners, virtuous and knowledgeable, and dedicated to the motherland" daily teenagers. nanguan primary school explores "warm education" to promote school development with cultural innovation...

relevant officials of the tongzhou district education commission said that these century-old schools in tongzhou have gone through hardships, cultivated talents, adhered to the social standard and education of being a good person, and cultivated and sent tens of thousands of outstanding students to the country and society. they are a microcosm of tongzhou's century-old education, and are the crystallization of the struggle of thousands of people with lofty ideals to pass on and pass on through thick and thin. the inheritance and development of the century-old schools will continuously promote the recognition of high-quality education by the people of tongzhou, enhance the attraction and cohesion of the city's sub-center to high-end talents, and become another cultural brand with tongzhou characteristics.

taste seeker says

when writing this article, the reporter often thought of his high school days. although he did not attend a century-old school, it was a foreign language school. i remember the first english class, the teacher did not teach words and letters, but cut into the real situation of the airport broadcast, so that everyone could immerse themselves in the atmosphere of english conversation. this teaching method that avoids rote memorization has greatly stimulated the reporter's enthusiasm for learning english and multiculturalism, and it has continued to this day.

education during adolescence affects a person's life. the spirit of the old school with more than a hundred years of cultural heritage can nourish the hearts of students in a subtle way. the reporter has several friends and colleagues who are alumni of luhe middle school. although they have graduated for many years, when they talk about their alma mater, they feel a sense of pride, which makes people wonder what the charm of this century-old school is. after the on-site visit, the reporter also had his own personal experience: not only is the quiet and elegant campus environment that transcends ancient and modern times fascinating, but the "personality education" concept that has been passed down for a hundred years is even more admirable.

it takes ten years to grow a tree, and a hundred years to cultivate a person. over the past hundred years, tens of thousands of outstanding students have graduated from these old schools in tongzhou and become outstanding talents in all walks of life, making great contributions to the development and progress of society. today, batches of young people continue to enter these century-old schools, where they will absorb nutrients, thrive and write their own wonderful chapters in life.

source: beijing daily

reporter: sun yunke

process editor: u072