Construction and Architectural Features of Westernization Schools in Tianjin

Westernization schools were the earliest new school type in modern China that still followed the courtyard style and architectural form of traditional Chinese academies. Due to the new teaching model and content, the traditional conception of space was no longer applicable, and a new spatial form appeared. In Tianjin, back then the northern center of the Westernization Movement, the Westernization schools developed a set of distinctive features. Digging through historical documents, this article explores some problems of establishment, site selection, school layout, and architectural features of Tianjin’s Westernization schools. Through the comparison with Westernization schools in other regions, the article then identifies the fundamental characteristics of new-style schools in this period.