Meihua Academy

Meihua Academy

Meihua Academy is a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Site.

Meihua Academy is located at No. 248 Guangling Road and is the only surviving academy from the Ming and Qing dynasties in Yangzhou. It is now a provincial-level cultural heritage site.

Meihua Academy was originally Zhan Gong Academy outside Guangchu Gate during the Jiajing era. In the 12th year of the Yongzheng reign (1734), salt merchant Ma Yuehan independently rebuilt it and gave it its current name; its first headmaster was Yao Nai, a master of the Tongcheng literary school. It was destroyed by fire during the Xianfeng era. In the 5th year of the Tongzhi reign (1866), Salt Inspector Li Zongxi relocated Meihua Academy to the government building at the entrance of Shulidao Lane on Dongguan Street. In the 7th year of the Tongzhi reign (1868), Salt Transport Commissioner Ding Richang moved it to its current site on Zuowei Street (Guangling Road) and rebuilt it. The surviving structures include the main hall, two smaller buildings, and a corridor. The hall features nanmu wood framing with a rolled awning at the front, and a stone plaque inscribed with “Meihua Academy” by calligrapher Wu Rangzhi is embedded on the east-side door. In 1990, major renovations and the reconstruction of the brick-carved gate tower were carried out. In 2010, the “China · Yangzhou Academy Museum” was built on the original site.

An academy is a type of private educational institution. It originated in the Tang dynasty, gradually matured during the Song dynasty, and became increasingly institutionalized under government influence during the Ming and Qing dynasties, eventually transforming into modern schools by the end of the Qing. Academies in Yangzhou began in the Song dynasty. With the flourishing salt industry in the Ming and Qing periods, local salt officials and merchants used their wealth to support education, which promoted the rapid development of Yangzhou academies. This led to the saying, “Of the thriving academies in the southeast, three are in Yangzhou.”

The Academy Museum is divided into sections on a brief overview of Chinese academies, Yangzhou academies, and the historical contributions of Yangzhou academies. It highlights the glorious histories of the “Three Great Academies”—Meihua Academy, Anding Academy, and Leyi Academy—as well as the various salt field academies established and supported by the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office, including notable institutions such as Zhongshan, Zunjing, Yuelu, and Xiangshui School of Classics. It recreates the vigorous efforts of the Lianghuai Salt Transport Office in promoting academies. In the “Historical Contributions of Yangzhou Academies” section, the museum displays records of Ming and Qing Jinshi degree holders from Yangzhou, lists of top-ranking academy graduates, as well as the legacies of renowned masters such as Dai Zhen, Jiang Shiquan, and Sun Xingyan, and distinguished students like Duan Yucai, Wu Yin sun, and Wang Zhong. The main exhibition hall features a plaque inscribed with “Cultivating Scholars through Classics” bestowed by Emperor Kangxi, as well as a model of Meihua Academy from the Yongzheng era. The rear hall of the museum has been restored to include a “Kuixing Pavilion,” with newly crafted statues of the God of Literature and the Star of Kuixing.

Further Reading:

· The First to Third Batches of Municipal-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Yangzhou

· The Seventh Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites