Yanping High School

The school was established in 1946 by our founder, Zhu Zhao-yang. Soon after the Japanese surrendered, he was determined to come back to Taiwan to found a school to educate people here and contribute what he had learned to the country. He was strongly supported the co-founder Song Chin-ying by the intellect of that time and with the help of Liu Ming, a magnate of the mining industry then, he founded Yanping University. He requested Lin Xian-tang to serve as the chairman of the board. In order to commemorate Zheng Cheng-gong’s undauntedness, disregard of fame and wealth, and his determination to build Taiwan as a secure rear base area, Mr. Lin named the university “Yanping University.” (For Mr. Zheng was awarded by Prince Gui of Southern Ming Dynasty the royal title: Prince of Yanping Prefecture and Zhaotao Grand General. Zheng Chenggong is known as Koxinga in the West) The founding directors are Lin Xian-tang, Tsai Pei-huo, Yang Zhao-jia, Du Chong-ming, Wu San-lang, Qiu Nian-tai, Yiu Mi-jan. In September, 1946, the school formally started recruiting students, but because it didn’t meet the requirements of founding a university, the name was changed to “Yanping College”.

Our founders held the idea that “The significance of life lies not in becoming a great master, but in cultivating a great master.”Although at that time we didn’t have our own campus, the idea to found a school did not perish. The original venue was borrowed from Kainan Commercial High School. The school moved to the present address the following year. Since the reconstruction of the school in 1976, the school progressed rapidly, and the student population increased each year. It is now one of the largest private schools in Taiwan.

The opening ceremony on the Kainan campus was at night, and there was only a small electric bulb used for lighting. It was like a firefly lighting up the playground, bringing forth the ambiance of the ceremony. While the light was swinging in the wind, the eleven hundred students listened attentively to these up-lifting words, “In this chaotic and dismal time, we have to offer this society a slight ray of hope, and we have to be like the glittering light of the luminous firefly found only in a very harsh region of the world.”

In that early fall, when the firefly danced in the cold wind to strive for a life of its own control and witness all sufferings an miseries, the first college founded by Taiwanese was born.

Five months after the school was founded, it seemed that the Taiwanese spirit had collapsed and the school was shut down by the government because of the 2/28 incident. The first Taiwanese -founded college went into history. The glistening beginning of the school turned into an old legend just to be passed down to the future generations. For more than a year Mr. Zhu actively searched for the revival of the school and his great efforts finally won the trust of the government to allow the school to re-open in September, 1948, under the name of Yan-Ping Complementary night high school. Although its social position is lower than that of a college, most people regarded it as the revival of Yanping College and its spirit. The school hired many well-known professors who taught in National Taiwan University, including the former President, Lee Teng-wei. In 1953, two new buildings were set up on today’s site.

For more than fifty years Yanping has experienced hardship and tough management, turning the original desolate campus into a magnificent education facility. We have been expanding our facilities and materials and now we are a fully equipped campus. We can say it’s “like a sparrow which is small but has all its inner parts.” It’s “like a forest which encompasses many great trees.”

For fifty years the alumni of Yanping have spread to all corners of the world and they have many distinguished achievements. They offer ‘nutrition’ to the school. The teachers all have their specialties and work hard. They respect their jobs and are devoted to teaching. All the homeroom teachers come to school before 7:30, spend lunchtime with students and they are not allowed to leave the school before 1750. This is one of the responsibilities of being a homeroom teacher. Our idea is that if the students are in school, too, must the teachers.

A career in Education lasts a lifetime. It should not focus ok on competition only ,but the ok should open the students’ wisdom, and cultivate their generosity, evolving their potential to make a sapling become prolific and grow into a giant tree. So we take pains to teach the students how to maintain a clean environment, follow class regulations, and do daily chores. Only after they carry out their own duties can they engage in greater future enterprises. So we offer clubs and associations including alumni, and student council. They can train their abilities and communication skills in these groups.

Now we have combined the junior and senior levels in our high school. To be admitted as senior high school freshmen, the students in other junior high schools in Taiwan must take government-sponsored tests first. The first test session allows them to apply to one public and one private school. If they choose to continue to the second test and they are not accepted by the top few public schools, Yanping is often their next choice.

For junior high students we must follow the Ministry of Education directive and draw lots for admission of students. Many of our students are the best students in their elementary schools. Only those who can accept the challenge will attend our school.

In order to preserve the best facilities for the students almost all teachers stay in the same staffroom. Our founder, Mr. Zhu, offered NT 100,000 as a scholarship to take care of the children of the faculty members and poor students and alumni. His foundation took over this important work after he passed away. During every year’s school festival, all faculty members and students work together to express their love for the school. The school motto given by our founder is “honesty, righteousness, diligence, and simplicity”.

The purpose at Yanping is to serve society, not to make profit. The spirit will last forever and will never be altered. Now the development of Yanping continues to improve yearly and we believe we will play the most important role in the prosperity of society in Taiwan.