As a prominent Qing Dynasty circuit-level academy (daoli shuyuan) in Northwest China, the historical evolution of Longnan Academy represents a typical transformation path for traditional Chinese educational institutions during the process of modernization. This study systematically charts the academy’s trajectory: from its origins as Wenchang Academy, its relocation to Qinzhou, its reconstruction as Longnan Academy, to its late-Qing conversion into a modern secondary school, ultimately evolving into the contemporary Tianshui No. 1 Middle School in Gansu Province. The article focuses on its "evolutionary adaptability" across historical stages and its "functional persistence" in returning to the essence of education. By analyzing its roles in cultural edification, talent cultivation, and academic inheritance, this research reveals the underlying logic of its centennial continuity. Through a longitudinal analysis of the academy’s philosophy of "statecraft and practical learning" (jingshi zhiyong), its sacrificial rituals, curricula, and institutional shifts, this paper argues that traditional academies were not entirely replaced during modernization; rather, they achieved a sustained extension of educational value and a reconstruction of cultural functions through adaptive transformation. This study enriches the history of education and academy systems in Northwest China while providing historical insights for the contemporary "Shuyuan Revival" and ongoing educational reforms.