Gongshu District covers an area of 87.73 square kilometers, including 3 towns and 7 blocks, with a total population of 486,900. The ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal crosses throughout Gongshu District from north to south. Gongshu District, in charge of 14 middle schools (including 5 private ones), 23 elementary schools, 38 nursery schools and four grand educational groups, is famous for its education in Zhejiang Province. In addition, it also administrates a school for teachers’ training, a children’s palace, a community college, a special school for the handicapped and ten vocational schools, with around 33,000 students and 2,600 teachers.

With the 30 years of Opening and Reforming Policy, the education in Gongshu District can be divided into three stages, adjustment, development and flourish.
Currently, there is a second grade key provincial high school, a third grade provincial vocational high school, a provincial experimental artistic school, a municipal experimental school, eight provincial exemplary schools and four provincial exemplary kindergartens. In the provincial acceptance inspection of key educational district in 2005, Gongshu District was entitled “the key educational district with the fastest development, the greatest potential and the most dynamic vigor.

Stage of Adjustment (1978-1990)

With the end of the Cultural Revolution, the educational development in Gongshu District witnessed a new era.

In May 1978, Gongshu appointed new principals to schools, who would be in charge of the uniform administration and management of the schools. In primary schools and kindergartens, the principals should assume overall responsibility under the leadership of the CPC Branch.

In January 1980, Gongshu District Education Bureau was established.

In 1988, Gongshu District Education Bureau covered three divisions, education scientific research office, teaching research office and teachers’ training school, which founded the basis of education training in the new century in Gongshu District.

In 1990, a brand-new Teachers’ Training School was established.
Stage of Development (1991-2000)
During the years of 1992 and 1999, Hanggang High School, Affiliated Primary School of Hangzhou Tongda, Affiliated High School of Hangsilian and Affiliated School of Zhema gradually became under the administration of Gongshu District Education Bureau.

In 1997, because of the adjustment of Hangzhou districts, Gongshu District administered five more primary school in Xiangfu County and Xiangfu High School and picked out eight primary school in Shiqiao County and Shiqiao High School to the administration of Xiacheng District.
In 2000, Changzheng High School, Daguan High School, Hemu High School, Gongchen High School and Xingzhi High School were bracketed under the administration of Gongshu District, directly under the leadership of Gongshu District

Education Bureau.

In the same year, Jiajialong Kindergarten, Daguan Experimental Kindergarten, Daguan Primary School consecutively introduced the state-owned and privately-run system. In order to overcome the difficulty of migrant workers’ children in receiving education, Canal School was established exclusively to enroll migrant worker’s children.

Stage of Flourish

In the new century, Gongshu District establishes a “quality, balanced, humanistic and scientific” philosophy of the educational development, and executes four grand projects, such as upgrading human resources, meeting campus criteria, improving scientific researches and fostering renowned schools, which pushes the education in Gongshu District into a stage of flourish.

Upgrading Human Resources. Gongshu District Education Bureau attaches great importance to the project of upgrading human resources by introducing a series of strategies such as training the expert teachers, granting special allowance and recruiting talents, which improves the teachers’ qualities enormously and brings up many outstanding teachers. In 2006, three teachers in Gongshu District were entitled “special-graded” teachers at the provincial level. Gongshu District has owned 12 “special-graded” teachers, 22 famous teachers and principals at the district level, more than 100 new star educationists at the provincial or municipal level, around 300 key teachers at the district level. More than 10% teachers have been granted licenses for providing psychological services, which guarantees the sustainable development of the education in Gongshu District.

Meeting Campus Criteria. In the years from 2002 to 2007, Gongshu District removed some badly-run schools in the process of old city renovation. It built, rebuilt and expanded some primary schools and kindergartens, accounting construction area to 231,283 square kilometers, as three times as the one in 2000. In 2006, Shangtang County Central Primary School, Xiangfu County Central Primary School, Kangqiao Central Primary School were transformed to be in the charge of Gongshu District Education Bureau directly. 72.72% of the campus has met the criteria of the standard campus.

Improving Scientific Researches. By taking a series of measures such as investing more research capital, regulating management, realizing research achievements, many research achievements mushroomed at the provincial and municipal level. Gongshu District Education Bureau has been entitled “advanced scientific research unit” twice consecutively.

Fostering Renowned Schools. A great number of renowned schools have established in Gongshu District with some means concerned. In 2003, Gongchenqiao Primary School was changed its name as Hangzhou Experimental Primary School by the Bureau. Maiyuqiao Primary School, Desheng Primary School, Daguan Primary School, Changzheng High School, Wenhui High School, Yucai High School, Wenlan High School and Hongying Kindergarten have been frosted as satisfactory schools known to all the people living in the district. In 2005, Gongshu District put forward the strategy of incorporating renowned schools and has established four great educational incorporations till now.

All these efforts fulfill the “quality, balanced, humanistic and scientific” philosophy of the educational development in Gongshu District.

The state and provincial leaders attach great importance to the harmonious educational development in Gongshu District. Xi Jinpin, the member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and former provincial Party committee secretary of Zhejiang, inspected the education in Gongshu District twice. Wang Guoping, the member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CPC and municipal Party committee secretary, as well as other municipal leaders has researched the education in Gongshu District for several times and gave it a positive evaluation. In 2007, the experience of education development in Gongshu District was selected by the Report of China’s Education Development in 2007 organized by Ministry of Education.