Songyang Academy, Cradle of Neo-Confucianism and Ancient Academia
Songyang South Road, Dengfeng City, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province
4.3
Introduction
Songyang Academy was founded in the eighth year of Taihe of the Northern Wei Dynasty in 484 AD. It was originally a Buddhist temple called Songyang Temple. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, it became a Taoist activity site, and twice served as the palace of Tang Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Songyang Academy became a famous educational institution, where renowned scholars such as Fan Zhongyan, Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao, and Sima Guang taught. Sima Guang even completed part of his historical masterpiece, "Zizhi Tongjian," here. The teaching activities of these famous scholars not only made Songyang Academy the foremost of the four major academies in the Northern Song Dynasty, but also one of the birthplaces of Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism.
The architecture of Songyang Academy adopts the building style of the Qing Dynasty regulations, with a large scale and well-preserved traditional features of the academy. Its site, layout, and form incorporate the characteristics of both public and residential buildings. The remaining area of the academy is over 9,000 square meters, with a central axis consisting of five courtyards and 106 ancient buildings. The academy preserves a large number of exquisite steles, sutra pavilions, and ancient trees from various dynasties, closely related to the important activities of many historical celebrities. Although the academy's education system was cancelled in the late Qing Dynasty, as a cultural representative of this lost system, Songyang Academy still plays an important role in the study of ancient Chinese academy architecture, education system, and Confucian culture. As a historical relic, Songyang Academy also has significant and far-reaching implications for modern education and culture. Address Songyang South Road, Dengfeng City, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province
Opening hours 08:00-17:00 (all day)
Last entry time: 16:30 (Monday-Sunday, December 1st-February 28th of the following year)
08:00-18:00 (all day)
Last entry time: 18:00 (Monday-Sunday, June 1st-August 31st)
Transportation Take bus routes 2 and 6 in the city and get off at the final destination to arrive.
Several ancient trees in the courtyard are very old
