Wenkui Tower

Wenkui Tower

Wenkui Tower, also known as Fengyuan Academy, was built in the first year of the Kangxi reign (1662), initiated by local resident Wu Rugong, and renovated in the 11th year of the Jiaqing reign through a donation by Wu Nianzu. It consists of the Wenchang Pavilion and the Kuilou (Tower of Literature Star). The Wenchang Pavilion features winding waterways and corridors, while the Kuilou houses a statue of the God of Literature. The entire structure is dignified and elegant, with upturned eaves and soaring corners. A poem praises it: “A grand and towering structure forms a splendid sight, as one leans on the railing at Fengyuan Academy. Clouds drift over peaks that blend with the boundless blue sky, while the tower gathers starlight amid the chill of moonlight. The wall edicts reach far toward the waters of the ancient school, and the light of the firebrand shines afar on the purple-altar terrace. Literature entwines around the Ox and Dipper constellations, with the Kuixing star also paying homage, nurturing talent and virtue adorned with jade pendants.” According to the Wu Family Genealogy, Wu Huaide (1841–1916), a Qing-era imperial examination graduate, donated funds in 1911 after the abolition of the imperial examination system to transform the site into Fengyuan Town Higher Primary School. The school was headed by local scholar Wu Shizhu, who had graduated from Lishui National Language School. The curriculum included moral cultivation, national language, arithmetic, history, geography, science, gymnastics, and drawing. According to Wu Qingsheng, a descendant of Wu Shizhu, the school was among the first in the county to offer Mandarin education (Putonghua). The school also established a girls' class, and several elderly residents of the village today are graduates of that girls' class.