The Qingcheng Academy in Qingcheng Ancient Town, Yuzhong, Gansu

The Qingcheng Academy was founded in the eleventh year of the Daoguang era of the Qing dynasty, which is the year 1831. It was established by local gentry such as Gu Ming, Zhang Jinfang, Li Kaide, Han Ying, Liu Shibao, and others. It was a privately-run rural academy and one of the six major academies in the Lanzhou area at the time. In 1904, the Qingcheng Academy was renamed 'Gaoyu Joint Higher School', in 1931 it was renamed again to 'Gaoyu Joint Qingcheng Primary School', and in 1938 it was changed to 'Yuzhong County Qingcheng Primary School'. During the Qing dynasty, the academy cultivated 11 Jinshi (including 1 Hanlin scholar), 23 Wenju (civil examination awardees), 51 Wuju (military examination awardees), 8 Xiaolian Fangzheng (filial and upright scholars), 83 tribute students, and countless Xiucai (scholars). The academy is oriented from north to south and is shaped like a long strip, consisting of a screen wall, mountain gate, front courtyard, middle courtyard, and back courtyard. The establishment of Qingcheng Academy is a concentrated reflection of the flourishing education in ancient Tiaocheng. It made Qingcheng a well-known cultural town far and wide, earning it the reputation of 'Elegant Qingcheng, the hometown of benevolence and righteousness'. It also allowed many benevolent and aspiring individuals to emerge from Qingcheng, promoting exchanges and communication between Qingcheng and the outside world, accelerating the prosperity of education and the economic boom in Qingcheng. In 2013, it was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit.