After Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, he divided his troops into four roads and attacked Shanxi on a large scale. In the spring of the 27th year of Guangxu (190 1), Longquan Pass, Pingxing Pass, Niangziguan Pass, Guguan Pass and other places in Shanxi were captured one after another, threatening Taiyuan, thus forming a serious situation that "the allied forces pressed the border and the whole province was in danger".
At this time, the Catholic Church in Taiyuan repeatedly demanded compensation from the new governor of Shanxi, Cen, and seized Lingdetang Academy as a church and residence. Cen Chunxuan was forced to accept Dunhe Shen's suggestion from Shanxi Westernization Bureau and invited timothy richard, a British Jesuit Baptist missionary, to Taiyuan to negotiate and solve the problem of Shanxi's religious plan.
Timothy Richard, an Englishman, has been preaching in Shandong, Shanxi and Shanghai in China for more than 20 years. He is a famous "China hand". British imperialism extorted 500,000 taels of silver from Shanxi people by the so-called "boxer indemnity". Timothy Richard, as the representative of the British side, accepted the indemnity and left for Beijing from Shanghai on March 26th, Guangxu 27th. After consulting with ministers from Britain and the United States, he worked out the Seven Articles of Association for Handling Shanxi Religious Cases with Li Fu together with representatives of Jesuits Ye Shouzhen and Wen Ade, and handed them over to Li Hongzhang. Article 3 states: "Shanxi Province fined 502,000 yuan in total, and paid 52,000 yuan every year for a period of 10 years. However, this paragraph does not belong to westerners or parishioners. Committed to enlighten Shanxi people, set up schools, and educate useful learning, so that officials, gentlemen and concubines can learn without confusion. Choose a scholar from the west to manage his affairs. " After sighting, Li Hongzhang telegraphed Shanxi Governor Cen Chunxuan to handle it quickly.
Eight representatives, including Guo Chongli, Smith, Wen Ade and Ye Shouzhen, were elected by the Jesuits and arrived in Taiyuan on July 9 to discuss the implementation measures with Cen Chunxuan. Because Cen Chunxuan has objections to "fines" and school missionary work, it has not been discussed properly. Timothy richard called several times from Shanghai to urge him, and Cen Chunxuan sent the Westernization Bureau to invite Glory to interview Li in Shanghai, but he still insisted on not saying "fine", prohibiting missionary work in schools, not having relations with churches, and not interfering with school administration.
After repeated negotiations, in 10 that year, eight contracts for the establishment of Chinese and western university halls were finally negotiated. As the chief executive of a province, Cen Chunxuan adhered to the national interests and did not compromise with foreigners in the process of establishing the school, which was commendable at that time.
While negotiating with timothy richard to set up Chinese and western university halls, Shanxi set up university halls in various provinces in accordance with the imperial edict of the Qing government. At the beginning of the 28th year of Guangxu (1902), Shanxi University Hall was allowed to be established on the basis of the original Lingde Hall. Yao Wendong, Shanxi Alternate Road, was appointed as the first inspector of Shanxi University Hall, gao xie as the chief teacher and Gu Ruyong as the deputy teacher, and Wenying Hunan Gongyuan was selected as the temporary school site to receive teachers and students from Lingde Hall and Jinyang Academy to prepare for the opening of the school.
On April 3 of the same year, when timothy richard arrived in Taiyuan with the head teacher Dunchongli and his sub-teacher Xin Changfu, he found that Shanxi University Hall had been established. He repeatedly suggested merging Shanxi University Hall with Chinese and Western University Hall. If merged, it can be divided into two parts: one part is a special middle school, which is under the responsibility of the Chinese side; The other teaches western learning, and Timothy Richard is in charge. And draw up the above suggestions and submit them to Cen Chunxuan for deliberation. Cen Chunxuan weighed again and again, but did not dare to make a good decision. Later, before he reached an agreement on the merger of Chinese and western university halls into Shanxi University Hall, he asked the Qing government for approval, and published the news of the establishment of the school in the Beijing News on May 25, in order to expand the external influence.
After the Chinese and Western University Hall was merged into Shanxi University Hall, the former Shanxi University Hall was changed into a secondary school, and its funds were equivalent to those of Xida University Hall, and it was paid from the fifty-two thousand silver of the provincial treasury school every year. At this point, the former supervisor Yao Wendong resigned and appointed Shen Xiaohe to take over. The two schools each have a prime minister, Gu Ruyong, a middle school student, and Timothy Richard, a western scholar. Under the Prime Minister of Liangzhai, there are general fatwa, deputy fatwa and deputy fatwa, as well as Chinese fatwa and prison house, which are responsible for logistics affairs of Liangzhai. The school site of Shanxi University, the headquarters of the school, the middle school special lent and the second lent students' accommodation are all in Hiram's Hospital; Xixue Academy also borrowed Huanghua Villa in the West Campus of Huanghua Museum Learning Station as a temporary school site.
On June 26th, the 28th year of Guangxu, the Western School was officially opened. Governor Cen Chunxuan, provincial capital officials and gentry attended the opening ceremony, and Shanxi University Hall was formally established. Before the Revolution of 1911, Shanxi University Hall, Shi Jing University Hall and Beiyang University Hall were the only three universities in China. After the Revolution of 1911, Shanxi University Hall was changed to Shanxi University, which was included in the national scope and later called the National Third University.
1903, Shanxi University Hall purchased 200 mu of land in Houjia Lane. The following autumn, the school building was completed, and all the Shanxi University halls moved in (now the former site of taiyuan normal University).