The layout of Minqing University's campus didn't actually have much to do with us.
We were only going to wander around the oldest part of the campus. The other campuses were simply too far away.
As the oldest part of the campus, and the original one, this area had the feel of a traditional school. The buildings were no more than five or six stories tall, with no towering high-rises. Some of them were clearly quite old, though they had likely been renovated here and there. Their overall style still retained a sense of the era they came from.
Then there was the greenery on campus.
Minqing University had been established one or two centuries ago. Of course, when it was first founded, it wasn't a modern comprehensive university, and its campus didn't cover such a vast area. There hadn't been any landscaped greenery on campus, either. But over the past century or two, some of the trees planted later had become rare and valuable species.
As we walked, we saw several ancient trees surrounded by fences, with plaques beside them giving information about each one.
Before long, we arrived at the original school grounds that Minqing University had preserved.
A single-story wooden building, shaded by lush trees, had a distinctive charm.
The plaque hanging by the entrance read "University History Exhibition Hall." It had clearly been renovated and was no longer used as a classroom or office. Instead, it had become something like a museum.
The exhibition hall happened to be open, and quite a few people were visiting. Most of them were middle-aged, with few who looked like students. I figured they were probably parents accompanying their children to the entrance exams.
The five of us followed the crowd inside and had a look around.
The exhibition hall