Beijing No.4 High School

Beijing No.4 High School 北京四中
"diligence, rigor, democracy and pioneering"(勤奋、严谨、民主、开拓)
Location
A2 West Huangchenggen North St., Xicheng District Beijing, China
Coordinates	39°55′53″N 116°22′42″E / 39.931262°N 116.378257°E / 39.931262; 116.378257Coordinates: 39°55′53″N 116°22′42″E / 39.931262°N 116.378257°E / 39.931262; 116.378257
Information
Type	Public
Established	1906
Principal	Liu Changming (刘长铭)
Staff	90
Number of students	c. 1500
Color(s)	White, Blue
Song	Song of Hope and Ideal
Website	Official website

Beijing No.4 High School (Chinese: 北京市第四中学, pinyin: Běijīng shì dìsì zhōngxué), commonly abbreviated as Beijing Sizhong (Chinese: 北京四中) and sometimes referred to as Beijing High School Four (BHSF), is a public beacon high school in Xicheng District, Beijng, China. It was established in 1907 by the Shun Tian Government (Beijing Government) during the Qing Dynasty, known as the Shun Tian Secondary School at the time. After the Xinhai Revolution, the school was renamed as Capital Public No.4 Secondary School (京师公立第四中学), which was not changed into the current name until 1949, when the People's Republic of China was proclaimed. The school was among the first to be accredited as "Municipal Model High School" by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education. More than 200 students from the school have won medals in municipal, national and international competitions every year. More than 96 percent of its graduates passed the enrollment line of key universities in National Higher Education Entrance Examination.^[1]

History

Late Qing Dynasty period

Beijing No.4 High School is one of the oldest schools in Beijing. Its predecessor Shun Tian Secondary School (顺天中学堂) was founded in 1906 by the then Shun Tian Government (Peking Government) of the Qing Dynasty. Along with a few other primary and secondary schools established, the government nullified the imperial examination system and commenced a more institutional system on academic studies and education as a result of the Hundred Days' Reform.

ROC period

During the ROC period, the Capital Department of Education Affairs (京师学务局) exercised jurisdiction over the school and renamed it Capital Public No.4 Secondary School (京师公立第四中学) on September 29, 1912, which is thus the anniversary commemorated until today.

The May Fourth Movement of 1919 involved representative students from the school to parade and assemble at Tiananmen. After the city was invaded In 1939 by Japan, the school was mandated to conduct education of enslavement by Japan. The surrender of Japan in 1945 ended enslaved education, and the ROC government took over, with Sun Lubing (孙鹿宾) being principal. At that time, the secret service of the CPC had been developing secret CPC members within the school.

In 1945, alumni from Tsinghua University, Yenching University and Peiyang University who argued against the Chinese Civil War propagated their ideas to Senior Grade 3 students in an auditorium in the Beijing No.4 High School. When the local police arrived and besieged the auditorium, a conflict with the students broke out, with several students injured by bayonet. The police then bound the alumni. The Mayor of Peking He Siyuan (何思源) dispatched personnel to unbind them and apologized to the students.

From late 1948 to early 1949, the school was forced to cease its teaching and suspend classes when the KMT army occupied the school, turned its buildings and campus into barracks and battlefield to fight against CPC in the Civil War.

PRC period

The Communist Party of China assumed control of the city on January 31, 1949. On March 15, the Beijing Military Management Commission (北京市军管会) sent Li Fusheng (李复生) to take over the school as principal. In April, 1949, it set a CYLC branch and a CPC branch, and established a students union. It was at this time that the school was renamed to Beijing No.4 High School (北京市第四中学).

Teachers and students from Beijing No.4 High School attended the founding ceremony of the PRC

On November 7, 1995, the then CPC General Secretary, Chinese President Jiang Zemin paid a visit to the school. He highly praised it^[2], observing:

I’ve long heard of your great name, reverberating like thunder. I’m greatly honored to be here.^{[citation needed]}

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sent an evaluating delegation to inspect Beijing in February 2001. The No.4 High School was the only educational organ that received the evaluating committee. It was believed to have contributed to the success of Beijing in the 2008 Summer Olympics bidding.^{[citation needed]}

On August 6, 2007, IOC President Jacques Rogge visited the school and delivered a speech there.^[3][4]

Incumbent Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited the No.4 High School on September 4, 2007. There, he remarked:

Beijing No.4 High School is supposed to be developed into a world-class one and China should have more schools of this kind. This is our hope.^[5]

On August 7, 2008, the day before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the school was visited by the wife of IOC President Jacques Rogge, Anne Rogge and other foreign guests.^[6]

On May 5, 2011, NBA player Roy Hibbert of Indiana Pacers visited the school as a part of the NBA Cares program. The Center taught the students some basketball skills.^[7]

School

Title

The calligraphic title Beijing Sizhong (北京四中, literally Beijing No.4 High School ) was inscribed by Guo Moruo.

School emblem

The school emblem features the old school gate built in 1929.

School anthem

The school anthem Song of Hope and Ideal (希望和理想之歌) is composed by composer Shi Guangnan (施光南) and written by the collective.

Campus

Old campus

Historically, Shun Tian Secondary School (顺天中学堂) was situated in Wanping Senior Primary School (宛平高等小学堂) Capital Houku (京师后库) (Houku, Xicheng District, Beijing). The very old campus had been renovated and rebuilt many times, while the site was not changed. It occupied 65,733 m², of which the playground occupied 27,067 m², including basketball courts, tennis courts, football pitch, and volleyball courts. On the campus, there were around 1,500 trees and flowers in approximately 100 kinds. It also had a botanical garden where crops grown and a well pavilion.

Current campus

The People’s Municipal Government of Beijing rebuilt the school in 1983 and it was extended to occupy an area of 46372 m².

The principal’s office (校长室) is the only structure in archaic style, which is conserved from the old campus period. PO has a balcony popularly known as Wang Yue Tai (望月台). The 6-storey Experiment Building (实验楼) has laboratories for chemistry, physics and biology, and computer rooms. On the sixth floor there is an observatory.The Administration Building (办公楼) built in 2003, has space for teachers and staff to work, and provides conference rooms.

The school offers a stadium with plastic field, in which there are a football pitch, two volleyball courts, six basketball playgrounds, and other track and field facilities. A multi-purpose gymnasium is also inside of the school, where there are rooms for table tennis, a gym and a 200-meter swimming pool. There are also cafeterias, auditoria, and students dormitories.

The corridor from Teaching Building to Experiment Building is one of the more notable characteristics in Beijing No.4 High School.

Teaching Building

Each floor of this four-storey structure has eight classrooms, which are shaped in hexagon instead of rectangle. This design facilitates large capacity, small sight range and small visual angle that are really conducive to teaching and learning in the classrooms. The corridors shaped by the hexagonal classrooms are also convenient for emergency evacuation and break-time amusement.

Culture

Communication

Sister Schools

• Eton College^[8]
• Westminster School^[8]
• St. John's School^[8]
• Sonoma Academy^[8]
• Park City High School^[8]
• NUS High School^[8]
• Christchurch Boys' High School^[8]
• Seoul Science High School^[8]
• Taipei First Girls' High School^[8]
• Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School^[8]
• Ming-Dao_High_School^[8]
• Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School^[8]
• Taipei Wego Private Senior High School^[8]

Notable teachers

• Chen Jingrun, a Chinese mathematician and CAS academician^[9]

Notable alumni

• Yuan-Cheng Fung, a scientist, regarded as the founding figure of bioengineering, tissue engineering, and the "Founder of Modern Biomechanics"
• Fang Lizhi, an astrophysicist^[10]
• Li Ao, a Taiwanese writer, social commentator, historian, and independent politician^[11]
• Wang Meng (author), a writer^[12]
• Xie Fei, a film director
• Bei Dao, a poet and three times Nobel Prize in Literature nominee^[13]
• Chen Kaige, a film director^[12]
• Gao Xiaosong, a singer and musician^[12]
• Wang Kunlun, a Chinese politician and co-founder of the Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang
• Yu Zhengsheng, a Chinese politician
• Bo Xilai, a Chinese politician^[12]
• Ma Kai, a Chinese politician^[12]
• Liu Yuan, a Chinese politician^[12]

References

1. ^ "Beijing No.4 High School". http://www.bjxch.gov.cn/pub/english/ms/education/edu_list/200903/t20090303_1136243.html. Retrieved July 15, 2011. 
2. ^ "全国百所重点中学网站：北京四中". http://edu.sina.com.cn/zxx/2010-11-06/1118273863.shtml. Retrieved July 15, 2011. 
3. ^ "Rogge visits Olympic Education Model School". http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2007-08/07/content_6015178_3.htm. Retrieved July 15, 2011. 
4. ^ "国际奥委会主席罗格考察北京四中". http://www.chinamil.com.cn/site1/xwpdxw/2007-08/07/content_910581.htm. Retrieved July 15, 2011. 
5. ^ "温家宝考察北京四中纪实：学校代表着国家的未来". http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2007-09/20/content_6763319.htm. Retrieved July 15, 2011. 
6. ^ "罗格夫人参观北京四中[组图"]. http://news.xinhuanet.com/olympics/2008-08/07/content_9028532.htm. Retrieved July 15, 2011. 
7. ^ "罗伊-希伯特现身北京四中 亲自传授禁区内进攻技巧". http://china.nba.com/news/4/2011/0512/9051.html. Retrieved July 16, 2011. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} "友好学校". http://www.bhsf.cn/news.php?classid=335. Retrieved July 16, 2011. 
9. ^ "陈景润不认真教数学 被北京四中除名". http://v.ifeng.com/his/200905/5f0919fc-7596-4aa8-9605-0946bdef991a.shtml. Retrieved July 16, 2011. 
10. ^ Fisher, Arthur (August, 1996). "Man Without a Country". Popular Science (New York, NY: Times Mirror Magazines/Bonnier Corp.) 249 (2): 62. ISSN 0161-7370. http://books.google.com/books?id=sZEi9rc6Eb8C&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=Fang+Lizhi+high+school+4&source=bl&ots=4T8rrc2Ng2&sig=9NhSNBpszzLv6kMPpWYmqsyWnmQ&hl=en&ei=3NggTquBOuKlsAKL46TTAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Fang%20Lizhi%20high%20school%204&f=false. Retrieved 16 July 2011. "By the time Fang entered High School No. 4, the best in Beijing, he had become even more interested in what lay behind how things work." 
11. ^ "这就是李敖". http://www.phoenixtv.com/phoenixtv/76564500806893568/20040811/15123.shtml. Retrieved July 16, 2011. 
12. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "北京四中 皇城根里“第一牛中学”". 《看天下》. http://www.vistastory.com/article.php?id=4262. Retrieved July 16, 2011. 
13. ^ "北岛：北京四中". http://news.qq.com/a/20100726/000432.htm. Retrieved July 16, 2011. 

See also

• Beacon high schools in Beijing
• High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China

External links

• Official web site