Shishi Middle School

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Shishi Middle School (Simplified Chinese:石室中学，文翁石室，pinyin: shíshì zhōngxúe,wén wēng shíshì) is located in Chengdu, China. It was founded between 143 BC and 141 BC in Han Dynasty by Wen Weng and is the first local Chinese public school. It is also the oldest middle school in the world. Shishi, which in Chinese means "Stone House", alludes to how the school was originally built.

Shishi Middle School became Chengdu Normal School (成都师范学堂) under the new educational system introduced in 1902 and then became Chengdu Middle School (成都府中学) in 1904. It was renamed again (to Chengdu Shishi Middle School (成都石室中学)) in 1948. It ranks among the top 100 middle schools in China.

Competition among junior middle school students in Chengdu for entry into Shishi is intense. For many students, acceptance into Shishi is an honor rivaling university acceptance and provides a fabulous opportunity to receive above average instruction in core classes. Most Shishi students scored among the top 10% of their peers on the junior middle school exit exam. For those who did not score well enough on the exam, and who have above average financial resources available, there is always the FEC program. Operated by a Chinese businessman, the FEC program utilizes foreign English teachers to help provide select students with additional English instruction.