E Jing Chu Daily (Chu Tian Metropolis Daily) (reported by Niu Tai, intern Zhou Ning) Yesterday, resident of Xiangyang District Qu Yongjun showed the reporter a special cherished item: an elementary school graduation certificate carved on stone.
Qu Yongjun said that six years ago, when he passed through Xigang Village in Zhangwan Town, he saw a scavenger moving a stone. Upon closer inspection, he noticed words carved on the stone and purchased it for 50 yuan. After bringing it home and examining it closely, he realized that the stone was actually an elementary school graduation certificate from the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933).
Yesterday, at Qu Yongjun's home, the reporter saw that the stone was inscribed with traditional Chinese characters: "First Place Graduation Certificate from the County Elementary School Examination. Student Wu Dagang is a resident of Xiangyang County, Hubei Province, currently 14 years old, and has completed his studies in the advanced program at our school. He passed the examination administered by the Xiangyang County Elementary School Examination Committee and is hereby granted graduation."
The inscription ends with the name of the private Xiao Zhi Elementary School, Principal Yang Baoshu. The date is given as the auspicious day of August in the 22nd year of the Republic of China.
The stone is square-shaped, measuring 35 cm in length, 6 cm thick, and weighs 32.5 kilograms. In the middle, there is a small stone figure (as shown in the picture).
Retired history teacher Li Zhihe from Xiangfan No. 5 Middle School explained that during the Republican era, elementary school final exams were county-level tests. Some private schools would carve the names of top-performing students onto stone tablets as a reward, leading to the creation of stone-carved elementary school graduation certificates.