The former site of the Yunnan Army Military Institute lies near the Agrarian Exhibition Hall and the library on the western banks ofCuihuLakeinKunming City,YunnanProvince.
The site features the main building -- a two-storied construct of brick and wood. Its surrounding buildings are 120 meters in length, 10 meters wide and 12 meters high. The garrets are all symmetrical and connected to form a quadrangle in the center, which served as a temporary inner playground. In the middle of the southern building is a parade building, including offices, classrooms, dormitories and many other structures.
The Qing government opened the Yunnan Army Military Institute -- one of the earliest military institutes that offered courses in infantry, cavalry, artillery and military engineering -- in 1909 to found a new army. From 1909-1928, it held nine terms in all, each for one and a half to two years. Its students totaled over 4,000. After the Revolution of 1911, instructors and students from the institute play a great role in the Kunming Uprising and movement to defend the republic against Yuan Shikai. Many graduates became outstanding revolutionary leaders, such as Zhu De, Ye Jianying and others.