These are photos of Xiayang Primary School, a school our grandfather built in Xiayang, Hokkien in China in 1904. The photos were taken in the late Qing Dyanasty. The first set was published in an inaugural Education Magazine that was circulated nation-wide from 1909 to 1948 in China.
Right from the beginning, the content of the magazine had reflected the prototype of the modern education system promoted under the Kuaimao system of the Reform Movement endorsed by Emperor Guangxu. It served as a platform for teachers to learn modern educational theories, to discuss and share teaching methods and materials; and to introduce school facilities management methods to school operations. The language used is also very close to the vernacular form that was promoted in the reformed schools.
Two originals of the photos published are in our Ah Gong photo album kept in the family.
Another photo of Xiayang Primary School also found in the family album shows a group of students in a music class. Outside the wall there was that old distinguished Banyan tree. Inside the wall, a teacher on an organ and the students in smart military cadet uniforms had their hair still in braids. Indeed, Xiayang Primary School has been at the forefont of
the times since her very beginning.
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2021.03.27/2020.04.16