Renshan Academy

Renshan Academy

Renshan Academy is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Renshan Academy (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Qing Dynasty

Announcement date: March 16, 2005

Facing south, the overall layout consists of a front courtyard, three sections, and two wing rooms, forming a square shape covering an area of 960 square meters. The building has a T-shaped floor plan with a construction area of approximately 600 square meters. There is a door on each side of the east and west in the front courtyard. The first section features a width of three bays and a depth of seven rafters. The central bay’s beam frame consists of a five-rafter beam with single-step beams in front and back, using straight beams, and the corner pillars are square stone pillars with decorative angles. The courtyard sides have corridors. The second section has the same width, beam frame, beam shape, and corner pillars as the first section. Above the rear architrave of the second section hangs a wooden plaque inscribed with “Renshan Academy,” signed “Written by Wang Silai, Hanlin Academician from Cixi.” A corridor connects the central bay of the rear eaves of the second section to the central bay of the front eaves of the third section. The third section is five bays wide with a depth of five rafters. The central bay’s beam frame includes a three-rafter beam with single-step beams in front and back, and there are three-bay wing rooms on each side, forming small courtyards of their own.

According to the entry “Renshan Academy” in the Guangxu Edition of the Lanxi County Annals: “Renshan Academy was built by Jin Lüxiang of the Song Dynasty, and He Ji of Beishan inscribed the plaque ‘Renshan Shuyuan’ (Renshan Academy Hall).” It is believed to have been founded in the late Song and early Yuan dynasties. It is an important example of traditional private academy architecture in the province.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Website

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units