Hai'an Senior High School. [Photo by Pu Duanjian to en.nantong.gov.cn]

Hai'an, a county-level city of Nantong, is expanding access to high-quality education by improving school facilities and applying digital technologies, building on a tradition of educational development associated with Zhang Jian (1853-1926).

Zhang, a renowned industrialist, educator and social activist in modern China, advocated combining education with practical skills and aligning schools with local economic and social needs. His ideas also influenced Han Guojun, a local statesman and educator in Hai'an.

In 1939, during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Han established Zishi Middle School at Dongsi Temple in Hai'an, which later developed into today's Hai'an Senior High School.

Hai'an has continued to invest in education in recent years. Over the past five years, the county has completed the construction, expansion or renovation of 31 schools. It has also been recognized as a county-level area with high-quality and balanced compulsory education.

Digital education has emerged as another key priority. Across Hai'an, all 73 primary and secondary schools have now rolled out a total of 156 standardized interactive classrooms. Cutting-edge technologies are steadily making their way into daily instruction, including artificial intelligence-based classroom behavior analysis and virtual reality-based simulation training. Together, these tools are being introduced to improve teaching and provide students with access to a wider range of learning resources.