 After the fall of Tianjin in 1900, Gao decided to create middle schools in Tianjin, to enlighten the general population and save them from the demise of ignorance.In 1901, he opened a private school at the Northwest Corner (西北角) of Tianjin, named the "General School" (普通学堂).He hired both Chinese and English-speaking teachers, and the school received about 100 students.