Zhang Zhidong Pavilion is located deep among the flowers in the northeast corner of Guangya.
Zhang Zhidong believes that establishing education and cultivating talents are the primary tasks of governing and revitalizing the country. According to statistics, he built more than 60 academies and schools of various types throughout his life.
Among the more mature and famous ones are: Jingxin Academy built in Wuchang, Hubei in 1869, Zunjing Academy built in Chengdu, Sichuan in 1873, and Lingde Academy built in Taiyuan, Shanxi in 1882 , the Guangdong Marine Corps Academy built in Guangdong in 1887, the Guangya Academy built in Guangzhou in 1888, the Ziqiang Academy built in Wuhan in 1893, etc.
Dedicated his efforts to designing the academy and drafting the charter:
Zhang Zhidong’s devotion to the establishment of Guangya Academy can be seen from his seven site selections. From October to December 1886, Zhang Zhidong personally selected a location for Guangya Academy. He once wrote to Liang Dingfen, the then director of Duanxi Academy, saying: "In the past two months, I have been doing a lot of work for the academy. In November, I still read pictures and visited places with Zhang and Xu. There was not a day that failed to do this. The work was so heavy. It’s been a long time, and I’m unspeakably anxious.”
In the letter, Zhang Zhidong described in detail the experience of many unsuccessful explorations—either “the water was shallow and turbid, and the air was not flowing smoothly” or “there were problems. "There is no land in the water, so we can have a garden but not a school", or even "it is too low-lying, and there are always floods"; or it may be that the place is too close to the customs office, prison gate, foreign trade sand surface, etc. on the south bank of the province, "people often pass by when they come and go. "The noise and chaos are meaningless"; or maybe they feel that the local landscape is not spiritual and the feng shui is not good...
As the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, despite being busy with military and political affairs, Zhang Zhidong still has to do everything personally. The amount of thought put into Ya Academy is truly rare. After settling on the site, he spent another five months completing the three tasks of raising funds, designing the institution, and drafting the charter.
Innovative academies cultivate comprehensive talents:
When establishing Guangya Academy, Zhang Zhidong’s Westernization thoughts gradually took shape, and he had accumulated rich experience in founding academies. Recognizing that traditional academies can no longer meet development needs, it is imperative to create a new type of academy.
In 1887, Zhang Zhidong clearly stated in the "Memorial on the Establishment of Guangya Academy" that the founding purpose was "to sharpen the quality of scholars and to store talents", and said, "The first one will serve the country, the second one will serve the country." "Xingxiangli".
Two years later, Zhang Zhidong mentioned it again in the "Request for the Imperial Letter and the Plaque": "The minister established the academy in order to encourage scholars and maintain the world's customs. The superiors would clarify the holy way and sharpen it. Famous and honorable, knowledgeable about the past and present, knowledgeable about current affairs, expected to have both physical and practical skills, and become a talent for the country. Secondly, he can also be an upright person, be loyal to the local party, and not be tainted by the habit of seeking quick benefits, and be able to be a good person and transform into customs. ”
This shows that the purpose of his creation is not only to preserve the ancients, but also to maintain the Confucian and virtuous conduct of the ancients so that they can govern the world without causing chaos; and it is also pragmatic, aiming to cultivate comprehensive politics, society and culture. Instead of just cultivating talents in single subjects such as translation and military affairs like the early Westernizationists,
Practice the philosophy of running a school through academies:
Zhang Zhidong’s educational thoughts have gone through a development process from “teaching the classics and applying them” to “Chinese body and western application”. Guangya Academy It was the place where his educational philosophy was put into practice, and therefore became a turning point in the history of the establishment of his academy.
In the "Memorial on the Establishment of Guangya Academy", Zhang Zhidong proposed the "Five Mains and Five Nos" principles for running a school: "The main thing is to connect the past and the present, not to make empty theories about the study of nature; to practice it The main thing is to be sincere and practical, not to resort to hypocritical economics; the main thing is to know the present and practical application, not to adopt the study of general words and articles; the main thing is to be detailed and elegant, not to be superficial; the scholar's habits are mainly to be honest and serious, not to take the Arrogant."
In terms of curriculum and teaching content, Zhang Zhidong responded to the shortcomings of the imperial examination system in the late Qing Dynasty. When the Four Books and Five Classics were taught in all academies across the country and eight-legged stereotypes were prevalent, he asked Guangya Academy to "We all follow the school's methods, strict academic rules, and revise the curriculum. We will eliminate the habit of writing poems and chapters, and only focus on selecting true talents and using them at the right time." The curriculum is divided into four majors: classics, history, science and economics. Students can choose a major based on their own expertise and hobbies.