Han Ximin

SHENZHEN Middle School marked its 60th anniversary yesterday with 2,000 alumni from around China and overseas.

The Ministry of Education sent a congratulatory letter to the school, and Shenzhen Mayor Xu Zongheng sent a message which said he hoped the school would continue to be the pacesetter in Shenzhen's education and teaching reform.

Tencent, a leading provider of Internet services in China, donated 1 million yuan (US$131,579) to set up a scholarship to mark the school's birthday.

"The establishment of the scholarship is to encourage students' innovation," said Ma Huateng, president of Tencent, and also an alumnus of the school. Ma and other two alumni including Chen Yidan, CEO of Tencent, founded the company in 1998.

Another alumnus Liang Yubo, chief of Shenzhen Shuxiangmendi Investment Co., donated 1 million yuan to winners of international and national competitions.

Established in 1947 with only 20 students, Shenzhen Middle School took the lead in China's curricular reform in 2002, and is national-level model school in China.

The school is not only known for its academic achievements -- nearly 100 percent of its students to go to college, but also for its all-round education in arts, dance, music and sports.

The school's chorus, dance troupe and orchestra won three gold medals at the national arts contest in February this year. Jian Mingchao, a senior two student, won the first prize at the International Physics Olympics Contest in July this year. The school has established sister-school relationships with schools of more than 10 countries.

"I felt very proud to be a student of Shenzhen Middle School," said He Lirong, 68, who graduated from the school in 1960. He came with his grandson, an alumnus who is now studying at Aberdeen University in the United Kingdom.

"I'm very happy to meet around 30 old classmates on this special occasion and felt proud that the school is becoming more influential," said He.