Shenzhen Middle School marked its 60th anniversary* on Sunday 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 relaying* his hopes that 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 anniversary.

“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 another 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 the national-level model school in China.

The school is not only known for its academic achievements, but also for its all-round education in the arts, dance, music and sports.

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