Walking in a young master's footsteps

"This shows Lu Xun's spirit of being strict with himself and his awareness of self-examination," says Hu.

Visitors can also see a bookmark at the museum that was made by Lu Xun when he was studying at the school. He wrote, "Reading books requires three arrivals — arrivals of heart, eyes and mouth" — on the bookmark.

"This shows he was diligent and worked very hard. He tried to find his way of learning and improving," says Hu.

Lu Xun spent 18 years at the complex and experienced many unforgettable moments. Some of them are recorded in From Baicao Garden to Sanwei Private School, a renowned article in which he reminisced about his childhood filled with nostalgia. Written in his 40s, this piece holds particular significance as it was selected to be included in middle school textbooks across China.

"Let's refrain from mentioning the verdant vegetable plot, the sleek stone well enclosure, the towering honey-locust tree, and the purplish-red mulberry fruits. ... Instead, let's focus on the sheer delight that the vicinity of the mud wall base offered," he wrote in the article.

According to Yu, visitors can still see "the verdant vegetable plot", "the towering honey-locust tree" and even "the mud wall base" at the present-day Baicao Garden and cherish Lu Xun's childhood fun.

Besides following in the writer's footsteps, the tourist attraction is a good example of the cultural characteristics of Shaoxing ancient city, which has kept its location unchanged since King Gou Jian of the Yue state from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) built it in 490 BC, says Chen Yang, an expert on the protection of the ancient city.