Huashi Academy Archway

Huashi Academy Archway

The Huashi Academy Archway is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Huashi Academy Archway was originally the main gate of the residence of Hua Cha, a Reader-in-Waiting at the Hanlin Academy during the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing era. After retiring in his later years and returning to his hometown, Hua Cha assisted the local county magistrate in land surveying, uncovering thousands of mu of untaxed land, which earned him widespread praise from the populace. The Huashi Academy Archway is a grand and imposing memorial archway of a high-ranking official’s residence, featuring three bays and four pillars. Its top section has been destroyed, but the stone pillars are made of granite, and there are bas-reliefs of lions under the octagonal screen walls on both sides. In 1983, the then Wuxi County People's Government designated it as a Wuxi County Cultural Relic Protection Unit. In 1928, Dongting Primary School (now Dongting Experimental Primary School) was established locally, using the archway as part of its school gate as a tribute. In 1980, the archway was rebuilt. In June 1988, it was designated as a Xishan City Cultural Relic Protection Unit. On March 29, 2019, the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government announced it as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units