Did you notice primary and secondary schools in Hangzhou have smartened themselves up, particularly through the transformation of corridors otherwise in plain looks? - now they are stunning “mini museums.”

A corridor of Wenyuan Primary School, for example, is now packed with art murals, science models, astronomy quizzes, clay sculptures about “the Universe”, essays on “My Dream”, and an interactive experimenting zone, etc., fully presenting the endeavor of students and teachers and the results of the classes.

Baochuta (Shenhua) Experimental School is another example with a corridor themed arts and culture. It is set up to record the trajectory of students’ physical and mind growth. On the first floor of the school’s sports and arts center, the corridor that extends over 20 meters consists of three modules, e.g. the Wall of Honors, the Music Dreams, and the Yiwen Museum.

Attached to the Children’s Xixi Culture Research in Hangzhou Liuxia Primary School, a gallery named “Qie-liu-xia” (but stay) has proved itself an ideal space to house student clubs’ select works in multiple fields, like seals, calligraphy, painting, paper cutting, and other fine arts.

The “School History” gallery of Zhijiang No.2 Primary School shows a good deal of precious images and artifacts, including old pictures of the campus, today’s modern education facilities, and the Wall of Smiles. The one named “Armored Guardians” is particularly worth a visit – it is also a crab mini-museum for the Zhijiang Branch of Hangzhou Qiushi Youth Academy of Sciences. This is a place where students can learn more about crabs and make crab-themed handicrafts.

Scenes are different in Xingzhi No.2 Primary School, where the Children’s Labor Education and Practice Center ingeniously stuffs its corridor with students’ handmade works, like tie-dyed “Xingzhi” Rabbit, stylish fabrics, and Chinese Rubik’s Cubes, and even with the elements of intangible cultural heritages, students’ life, and the role of information technology. 

Schools across Xihu District are all exploring proper outlets aligning with their own features, legacies, philosophies, and architectural styles, igniting a race for the “most beautiful corridors” in quest for high-quality cultural development on campus. According to the district’s education authority, the race is aimed to better leverage each of the school education facilities, like walls, corridors and corners, to help contribute to students’ holistic development and well-being.