Shanxi Daxuetang Jiuzhi, Educational heritage site in Yingze District, China.
Shanxi Daxuetang Jiuzhi at 6 Houjiaxiang, Wenmiao Subdistrict, Yingze District, is a five-storey, south-facing complex centred on a great hall with east-west symmetry. Its façades mix European round-arched and square windows with Chinese crenellated parapets, and a four-sided clock tower rises from the roof. The teaching block and clock tower form the character 山, while the tower and side wings form 西, together spelling Shanxi.
The Shanxi Daxuetang was founded in 1902, when the Qing government replaced the old academies with modern schools. The complex on Houjiaxiang was built for the new institution, and its teaching building later passed to Taiyuan Normal College and its affiliated middle school. It was listed as a Shanxi provincial cultural relic in 1996 and as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 2013.
The name Shanxi Daxuetang Jiuzhi simply means "former site of the Shanxi Grand School". The complex now serves as the Houjiaxiang campus of the middle school attached to Taiyuan Normal University, so the old teaching building is still used for classes. Look for the clock tower on the roof, whose position with the main block and lightning rod shapes the characters 山 and 西, spelling the province's name.
The site is at Houjiaxiang 6, Wunmiao Subdistrict, Yingze District, and the building now serves as the Houjiaxiang campus of the middle school affiliated with Taiyuan Normal University, so visits depend on school hours. The five-storey main building and its roof clock tower are best viewed from the street; check access before planning a walk through the grounds.
Seen from the front, the five-storey teaching block and its four-sided roof clock tower form the character 山 (mountain), while the tower and the flanking two-storey wings read as 西 (west) — together spelling Shanxi. The lightning rod above the tower completes the strokes.
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