Ruins of China's earliest state academy confirmed(1/4)

Archeologists unearth the ruins of Jixia Academy, ancient China's first government-run institution of higher learning, in Linzi District of Zibo City in east China's Shandong Province, Feb.24, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Liang Ben)

Built in 374 BC by the State of Qi, the Jixia Academy was a state institution of higher learning with multiple roles such as research institute, university and think tank, and had existed for more than 150 years.

The building complex was unearthed following a five-year excavation drive, and historical records confirmed it to be the Jixia Academy.

Archeologists unearth the ruins of Jixia Academy, ancient China's first government-run institution of higher learning, in Linzi District of Zibo City in east China's Shandong Province, Feb.24, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Liang Ben)

Archeologists unearth the ruins of Jixia Academy, ancient China's first government-run institution of higher learning, in Linzi District of Zibo City in east China's Shandong Province, Feb.24, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Liang Ben)

Archeologists unearth the ruins of Jixia Academy, ancient China's first government-run institution of higher learning, in Linzi District of Zibo City in east China's Shandong Province, Feb.24, 2022. (Photo: China News Service/Liang Ben)