Shengzhou Lumen Academy

Shengzhou Lumen Academy

Shengzhou Lumen Academy is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Lumen Academy is situated in the scenic Lufeng Mountain. The place is called “Lumen” (Deer Gate) due to the dense ancient woods and the frequent sounds of deer calls. The academy was established in the first year of the Chunxi era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1174), and the current structures were rebuilt in the fifth year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty. It is a quadrangle-style tower building with a stone base on the ground level, featuring arches on the southern and northern sides, and a two-story pavilion structure in the central part, maintaining a similar layout and geographical orientation as before.

“Lumen Academy” was founded by the Southern Song Dynasty Neo-Confucian scholar Lü Guishu, while the watchtower was built by his son, Lü Zuxu. In 1174, the retired court official Lü Guishu relocated here from Wuzhou, where he began carving into the mountain and stacking stones to construct thirty refined chambers. He established Lumen Academy, which became well known for education. In the seventh year of the Chunxi era (1180), during a great famine in eastern Zhejiang, the Neo-Confucian master Zhu Xi, who held the position of Salt and Tea Commissioner of Eastern Zhejiang, came to Shengzhou to provide disaster relief. He visited Lü Guishu at Lumen and gave lectures at the academy. After teaching, he climbed to the nearby Lufeng Mountain and inscribed the characters “Guimen” (Noble Gate) on the north gate (as the mountain has worthy scholars, it is noble enough—the Deer Gate should be renamed the Noble Gate), leading later generations to change the name from Lumen to Guimen.

The name “Watchtower” comes from Lü Zuxu, the son of Lü Guishu. Lü Zuxu once served as the Pacification Commissioner of Huainan, training soldiers and comforting the people with clear authority and benevolence, achieving notable political success. Later, he resigned from office and returned home to focus on education. The emperor granted permission to build the military drill and watchtower. The Watchtower has a rich cultural atmosphere, with many calligraphic works still in existence today, such as the plaques “隔尘” (Separating the Dust) and “归云” (Returning Clouds), inscribed by Zhao Ruirong, a calligrapher from eastern Wuzhou.

Guide Township: The administrative regions of Guide Township and Linan Township have been abolished and merged to form the new Guide Township. After the adjustment, Guide Township covers an area of 138.08 square kilometers, with a population of 22,505, and governs 24 administrative villages. The township government is located at No. 12, Guide Village (the former site of the Guide Township government).

Guide Township is located in the southwestern part of Shengzhou City, bordering Linan to the east, Jiangshan to the south, Dongyang to the west, and Changle to the north. The township comprises 33 administrative villages, with 3,811 households and a population of 10,861, covering a total area of 68.6 square kilometers. It has 7,848 mu of arable land and 5,718 mu of tea plantations... More details about Guide Township++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units