Yaohua High School - Introduction

Introduction

The school is located on 106, Nanjing Road, Heping District, Tianjin. It originally covered 35,000 square metres, and recently an area of over 20,000 square metres adjoining to it has been added. Its original floor space was 25,600 square metres. Some new buildings to be built will add an additional 39,000 square metres. The school buildings have an attractive combination of Chinese and Western styles. At the center of the campus is the school library with a collection of 120,000 books, the Science Building is well equipped and the computer center has Internet access, there is also an astronomical observatory. There are additional recreational facilities for both teachers and students, such as two fully equipped gymnasia, several basketball courts, one standard football field with a 400-metre track surrounding it, a swimming pool, a canteen and a dining hall that can serve 600 people at a time. There is also an auditorium, which can hold 1,380 people.

Yaohua High School has a long history, and fosters an honest and simple school spirit and aims to be a cradle of talents. Its history can be traced back to the early 20th century. In 1927, Mr. Zhuang Lefeng, one of the directors of the Union of the Chinese Taxpayers in the British Concession in Tianjin, founded the Tianjin Public School in the British Concession to benefit Chinese children. In 1934 it was renamed as Yaohua School which means "to glorify China". In 1952 the name was changed to Tianjin No.16 Middle School and then reverted to Tianjin Yaohua High School in 1988. In the past 70-odd years, both teachers and students in Yaohua have aspired to keep to the school motto: "Diligence, Simplicity, Loyalty and Honesty".

Since its foundation, the school has trained over 30,000 graduates. Famous alumni include:

• Science, Engineering and academia:
  • Hao Yichun an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences;
  • Liang Sili an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences;
  • Zhu Qihe an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences;
  • Yu Min an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences;
  • Wang Kui an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences;
  • Zhou Yaohe an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences;
  • Sun Jiazhong an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences;
  • Feng Shizuo an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences;
  • Wang Yue an academician of both Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering;
  • Zhang Jinzhe an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering;
  • Jin Yilian an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering;
  • Wang Jingkang an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering;
  • Zhu Chuangju(Jeffrey Chuan Chu) a world-famous computer specialist who was involved in the manufacturing of the world's first electronic computer;
  • Wang Lei the former vice-president of the General Hospital of the Chinese navy;
  • Chen Keqian the former president of Suzhou University;
  • Fang Huijian the former vice-president and the leader of the branch committee of the CPC (Communist Party of China) of Tsinghua University;
  • Hou Zixin president of Nankai University.
  • Wu Xi academician at Duke University

• Politics:
  • Zhou Nan vice-premier of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the former chief of Hong Kong Branch of Xinhua News Agency;
  • Zheng Bijian vice-president of Propaganda Department the CPC Central Committee and the Central Party School;
  • Nie Bichu the former mayor and the Director of Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Tianjin;
  • Yu Fujing the former deputy mayor and the deputy director of Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Tianjin;
  • Chenli Wanruo (Lily Lee Chen) the present director of the Research Centre on Cultures between the East and the West and the former mayor of a city in California, USA (the first Chinese female mayor in American history).

• Literature and the Arts:
  • Wang Qian a famous calligrapher and the deputy director of the Chinese Calligraphers' Association;
  • Chen Xianglong a famous calligrapher and painter
  • Han Wenlai a famous calligrapher and painter;
  • Jiang Dawei a well-known vocalist;
  • Liu Huan a well-known singer.

Each year, over 500 graduates from Yaohua go on to colleges and universities, which are more than any other school in Tianjin. In 2000 and 2001, all Yaohua High School graduates were admitted to universities, of which 97% were top-ranked ones.

From 1998 to 2000, students from the school continuously won first place in science subjects in the National Entrance Examination in Tianjin, especially in 2000, when Yaohua students took the top four places in science subjects in the National Entrance Examination. In 1991, Lu Qiang, a Yaohua student, won the gold medal in Physics at the 22nd International Middle-School-Student Olympic Competition. In the last five years more than 500 students won first, second and third places in Tianjin at the National High-School-Student Competition in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English and Computer Science; 100 students won first, second and third places in the National High-School-Student Olympic Competition in other subjects.