Spectral Codex
潮州鎮私立明德中學

Chaozhou Mingde Private High School

Locations
Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 9
Shutter Speed
1/320 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
14.7 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
The main entrance to an abandoned high school in Chaozhou.

Not much is known about the history of Mingde Private High School (私立明德中學) in Chaozhou except that it was forced to halt admissions in 2002 by the Ministry of Education after years of declining enrollment and chronic mismanagement. At that time there were still more than 100 students attending class and a staff of perhaps two dozen teachers. The school had taken to renting out its athletic field to a driving school for revenue and rival factions of the board feuded openly in the press. Eventually the school was completely dissolved and put up for auction, leaving the campus abandoned to the elements by the late 2000s.

School Emblem at Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 9
Shutter Speed
1/320 sec
Focal Length
34.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
14.7 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
The school emblem can be seen over the main entrance along with the faint outline of the characters in its name on either side.

Without any barrier to entry the school became a target for thieves and vandals. It also became popular with the burgeoning urban exploration scene of the early 2010s. Garish photos of dusty, discarded props from anatomy class became a fixture of the Flickr pages and Facebook groups of the time. I made my own pilgrimage to the site in 2018 and shot a few photos, though by now the entire building had been gutted and not much of interest remained.

Upper Levels of Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 9
Shutter Speed
1/320 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
14.7 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Ascending to the upper levels of the gutted school building.
Hello From Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 5.6
Shutter Speed
1/125 sec
Focal Length
24.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
11.9 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
A friendly greeting in the stairwell: “hello” (哈囉).
Through The Corridors of Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 3.8
Shutter Speed
1/40 sec
Focal Length
23.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
9.2 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Stalking through the ruined corridors.
Classroom at Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 5
Shutter Speed
1/100 sec
Focal Length
22.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
11.3 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Years of exposure have eroded this classroom.
Disorder at Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 5
Shutter Speed
1/100 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
11.3 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Another trashed classroom.
Money Shot at Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 4.5
Shutter Speed
1/80 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
10.7 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
The money shot: a lecture hall with some educational props laying around.
Biology Class at Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 4
Shutter Speed
1/50 sec
Focal Length
25.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
9.6 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Biology class is in session.
Discarded Props at Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 6.3
Shutter Speed
1/160 sec
Focal Length
28.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
12.6 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
More discarded remains in an open hall.
Decaying Classroom at Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 6.3
Shutter Speed
1/160 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
12.6 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Decaying remains of yet another classroom.
Inward Facing at Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 8
Shutter Speed
1/250 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
14.0 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
Discarded wooden chairs on the mezzanine. This view is looking inward across the campus.
Inside View of Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 9
Shutter Speed
1/320 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
14.7 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
The view from within the campus.
One Last Glance at Chaozhou Mingde Private High School (潮州鎮私立明德中學)
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
Aperture
ƒ / 9
Shutter Speed
1/320 sec
Focal Length
20.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
14.7 EV
Download
3600 × 2400
A parting glance across the empty campus.

The entire site was demolished and cleared sometime in the early 2020s. Nowadays the only mention of the school you’ll find in the news pertains to land disputes arising from a rezoning by the new owner. Nothing remains of this notorious ruin except an empty lot in the southern suburbs of Chaozhou.

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Note: this location has vanished. Any information presented here is only for reference.

提醒：此地點已消失，本文僅供參考用途。

Details

  • Status:Vanished (已消失)
  • Coordinates:

Recorded On

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Themes

Series: Southern Taiwan Ride 2018

Dispatches from a weeklong bicycle trip around southern Taiwan in late 2018. I began the ride in Tainan, crossed into Qishan, headed into the mountainous interior as far as Liugui, did a loop through Pingtung, and finished around Zuoying, visiting the sites of nearly 25 old movie theaters. Many entries remain to be added; this series is far from over.

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Author

Profile photo of Alexander Synaptic, founder of Spectral Codex
Alexander Synaptic
Curator, Spectral Codex

I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.

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