Biyang Academy

Biyang Academy

Biyang Academy is a cultural relic protection unit of Huangshan City.

Biyang Academy is located in Biyang Town, Yi County, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

In ancient times, Yi County has placed great emphasis on education since the Song Dynasty. The educational atmosphere of "no village of ten households neglects reading" foretold the promising future of this land. Biyang Academy was founded in the 42nd year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1564), located on the sunny side of Bi Mountain, renowned as "a paradise deep in the white clouds and a dwelling in the Peach Blossom Spring," hence the name. In the 42nd year of the Jiajing reign (1563), it was expanded on the original site of the Confucian school south of the city. During the Tianqi reign of the Ming Dynasty, it was destroyed by Wei Zhongxian’s faction; it was later restored during the Chongzhen reign. In the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, the county Confucian school was moved back to its former site south of the city, and Biyang Academy was abolished. In the 13th year of the Jiaqing reign (1808), "local gentry proposed building Xunyang Academy on Panshan, but the location proved too precarious." In the 16th year of the Jiaqing reign (1811), local residents donated nearly 90,000 taels of silver to rebuild the academy, including 18,000 taels contributed by Hu Shang, a local gentry from Yi County. The actual construction cost over 29,100 taels, leaving a surplus of 60,000 taels which was distributed among salt and pawn merchants in the county to generate annual interest. After deliberation by local gentry, and with slight modifications based on the system of Ziyang Academy in She County, 43 regulations governing various aspects of academy affairs were established and engraved on stelae in the courtyard. The newly appointed magistrate Wu Dianhua deemed the original proposed site for Hengjiang Academy to be the most auspicious, so Biyang Academy was built outside Ying’ai Gate. Hu Xuezhi, a native of Xidi Village in Liudu, donated 5,000 taels of silver, and his son Hu Shangzeng oversaw the construction. The academy was completed in the 13th year of the Jiaqing reign, consisting of over 110 structures including ancestral halls, lecture halls, and study rooms. During the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty, it was closed due to the Taiping Rebellion. In the 1st year of the Guangxu reign (1875), local gentry such as Cheng Hongzhao raised funds to restore it. In the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign, Biyang Academy was converted into Biyang Higher Elementary School. During the Anti-Japanese War, it served as the campus for the affiliated school of Soochow University (Yi Campus) and the affiliated high school of Fudan University (Wan Campus). Today, only the “Chongjiao Ancestral Hall” remains, located within the campus of Yi County Middle School.

Biyang Academy was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Huangshan City.

Biyang Town: Located at the southern foot of Huangshan Mountain in the ancient Yi Basin, Biyang Town lies at the heart of the heritage axis of Xidi and Hongcun, just over 40 kilometers from Huangshan Scenic Area. It is the political, economic, and cultural center of Yi County. The town administers 25 village committees and 3 community neighborhood committees, with a population of 45,000, including 41,000 permanent residents and 4,000 migrants, covering an area of 120 square kilometers.

As an industrial hub of Yi County, Biyang Town has consistently focused on developing the silk industry, tourism food processing, and tourism handicraft manufacturing as its pillar industries. It is now home to 8 large-scale enterprises with an annual... More details about Biyang Town++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Huangshan City