CCTV news from Tianjin on November 11 (Reporters Chu Fuqing and Han Yuchen) On November 11, the sycamore leaves in the North Campus of Nankai Middle School fell to the ground. In front of the Boling Building, the reporter looked up at the pair of octagonal patterns on both sides of the dome-shaped porch - "South" inlaid on the left and "Open" on the right... On the day of the "Champion of Youth Our New Long March" ideological and political course online theme publicity and interactive guidance event, I walked into the school founded by Yan Xiu and Zhang Boling in 1904. Here, the school history museum, Zhou Enlai High School Era Memorial Hall, Xizhai, the Prime Minister’s Bronze Statue and other points connect the school history and alumni spirit into an ideological and political course.
Boling Tower itself is the school history museum. The building was built in 1906 and was originally called the East Building. On April 5, 1999, on the occasion of the 123rd anniversary of the birth of President Zhang Boling, in order to commemorate the achievements of President Zhang Boling and upon the suggestion of the alumni, Nankai Middle School named the east building Boling Building. In 2004, it was opened as a school history museum. In 2013, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Zhou Enlai's enrollment in Nankai Middle School, a memorial hall for Zhou Enlai's middle school days was built on the second floor of Boling Building.
The reporter noticed that the first thing to do when entering the building was not to look at the display board, but to look in the mirror. There is a cosmetic mirror standing next to the corridor, with four crosses engraved on it: "The face must be clean, the hair must be straightened, the clothes must be straightened, and the buttons must be knotted..." This is the "Rongzhi Motto" carefully crafted by the "school father". Nankai freshmen must correct their clothes and recite the mirror motto here. More than a century ago, 15-year-old Zhou Enlai also started his "first lesson" in Nankai in this way.
There are four lecture rooms in the east on the second floor, the second one from the north. Zhou Enlai attended classes here when he was in the fourth grade of middle school, and his seat was in the first row in the middle of the classroom. Tables, stools, textbooks, and black-and-white photos on the wall have all been restored to their original state. The commentator said that during his four years at Nankai University, he wrote 52 classroom essays, totaling more than 70,000 words, discussing both his ambitions and current affairs.
Walking out of Boling Building, heading west is Xizhai, which is also the practical teaching base for ideological and political courses. This was originally a student dormitory in the early days of the school's establishment. The nine rooms in the second row were Zhou Enlai's dormitory, which has been restored to its original appearance. The second row also has a memorial room for Zhou Enlai and Ma Jun’s May 4th Movement, as well as a memorial room for alumni such as Yan Xiu, Zhang Boling, Mei Yiqi, and Cao Yu.
There is a memorial room for Peng Xuefeng in the West Room. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March. This "old senior" was appointed at a critical moment when the Red Army was facing life and death. He served as the director of the Operations Bureau of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission and assisted Zhu De, Zhou Enlai and others in commanding the troops. After that, he led the troops to attack Loushanguan twice. On September 11, 1944, he was hit by a stray bullet while attacking Balizhuang and died for his country at the age of 37. The commentator talked about the Huaibei Public Sacrifice: On the two kilometers of roadside, people spontaneously set up 128 sacrificial tables, each with a burner of incense, a bowl of water, and a mirror, "praising Mr. Peng as an official as clear as water and as bright as a mirror."
There are 63 such revolutionary martyrs recorded in the school history; there are 70 academicians in the same school history. In the Taoli Garden in front of Xiangyu Building, the academician relief wall completed in October 2024 is 15 meters long and 4 meters high, with 70 faces lined up. Liu Dongsheng, Ye Duzheng, Zhang Cunhao, Wang Dazhong, who have won the "National Highest Science and Technology Award", as well as Zhu Guangya and Zhou Guangzhao, who have won the "'Two Bombs and One Star' Meritorious Medal", are among them.
As the trip came to an end, through the sunlight, the bronze statue of Premier Zhou Enlai standing in the Nankai Forest Garden looked so amiable: wearing a coat, hands behind his back, and a smile on his face, it was the way Zhou Enlai looked when he went back and forth to his alma mater in the 1950s. The background of the bronze statue is a white curved wall with marble veneer. On the left facade of the wall are engraved with large gilt characters "Youth Model" inscribed by Hu Yaobang.
Inheriting a century-old cultural heritage and cultivating new people of the era. Nankai Middle School has always adhered to the patriotic direction of running a school, practiced the school motto of "allowing fairness and ability, making progress with each passing day", implemented the fundamental task of cultivating moral character and cultivating people, and built a distinctive ideological and political education system. According to Cui Yongrui, director of the Nankai Middle School Council Office, every year, visiting the school history museum is the "first lesson" for new students, starting Nankai's "on-track" education; every year, the school carries out a series of themed educational activities on Martyrs' Day, with speeches and tributes under the national flag. The Monument to the Martyrs serves as a carrier to relive the deeds of the heroes and inherit the spirit of the Long March; currently, the Nankai Gongneng Lecture Forum has held 160 lectures. The struggles of the seniors have written a vivid footnote for "Reading for the Rise of China" and continue to accumulate energy for Nankai students to shoulder heavy responsibilities in the future. "Every year, we also carry out research work and lead students into Zhou and Deng Memorial Hall and other cultural and museum venues. Many students in the school also serve as voluntary commentators in these venues to pass on the red culture and spirit."
The majestic Nankai, the spirit will be passed on forever. For more than 120 years, Nankai Middle School has produced a large number of talents who have influenced the course of Chinese history. Strict Xiu’s instructions to “do not aspire to be a high-ranking official, but to aspire to be a patriot”, Zhang Boling’s school motto of “allowing justice and ability, and making progress with each passing day”, and Zhou Enlai’s graduation prophecy “willing to meet when China takes off around the world” are still read in our mouths and walked on the road today.
