Lianjiang Academy

Lianjiang Academy

Lianjiang Academy is situated on Lou Street in Lianjiang Town. Constructed in the third year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1738), it is a courtyard-style complex comprising a front hall, lecture hall, worship hall, Kuixing Pavilion, Wenchang Pavilion, and other structures, with a total area of 4,903 square meters. In April 1929, Mao Zedong, as a representative of the Fourth Red Army, conveyed the spirit of the Sixth National Congress of the Communist Party of China here and also hosted a training class for land revolution cadres. From 1930 to 1934, the academy served as the location of the Xingguo County Soviet Government.

The exquisitely carved and painted Lianjiang Academy is located on Heng Street in Lianjiang Town, Xingguo County. Facing south and built against the north, it features a brick-and-wood structure with red doors and vermilion windows. Constructed in the third year of the Qianlong reign (1733), it covers an area of 4,903.8 square meters. Designed along the mountain’s contour, the five-tiered complex progresses upward and consists of a front hall, lecture hall, worship hall, Kuixing Pavilion, Wenchang Palace, and Chongsheng Shrine, forming a unified architectural ensemble. Rising step-by-step from low to high, the design is rigorous, neatly arranged, majestic, and grand in scale.

The gate tower, styled like a document pavilion, faces east from the west, symbolizing the arrival of “auspicious purple air from the east.” Its hip-and-gable roof features ridge ends adorned with upside-down mythical beast heads facing each other, with a bold porcelain vase in the center. Below is a horizontal plaque with blue characters on a red background reading “Lianjiang Academy,” bordered with cloud patterns, and flanked by paintings of “plum and orchid” on the left and “bamboo and chrysanthemum” on the right.

Passing through the gate tower, you’ll find a spacious front courtyard that can accommodate a thousand people. Eight pine and cypress trees and two magnolia trees are planted around it. To the north, 13 steps lead up to the front hall, which has a flush gable roof and is two stories high, with a total of four rooms. The central entrance features a red stone door frame and a panel door, with a horizontal plaque inscribed in blue characters on a red background reading “Xiuhui Shuangjiang” (“Talents Gather from Two Rivers”) set above the door. On either side of the plaque are landscape paintings labeled “Northern Scenery Reflects Two Rivers” and “Eastern Flow of Pan Water Gives Rise to Culture.” A pair of round red-painted wooden pillars stands in front of the gate.

Entering the front hall, you’ll see a small courtyard-style flower garden. The garden is filled with exotic flowers and plants, exuding a rich fragrance, with delicate partition walls separating the valleys on the sides. Walking through the garden path and ascending five stone steps leads to the lecture hall, which consists of three rooms with a flush gable roof. The roof ridge is adorned with molded figures of a “red phoenix facing the sun.” The upturned eaves are decorated with alternating poems and paintings, creating an elegant and refined atmosphere. In front is a canopy-style eave corridor supported by four red-painted wooden pillars and red stone drum bases. Symmetrical wooden lattice screens flank the hall. The central room has three walls but no door, while the sides feature lattice-paneled wing rooms. There is one side door on each side, and six student rooms are located to the east of the hall, with nine on each side.

Passing through the lecture hall, you’ll enter the inner courtyard. Ascending two steps leads to the Ke Hall. It is elaborately carved with flowers and embroidered designs, featuring painted dragons and phoenixes. Each corner is supported by a red-painted pillar holding up a flush gable roof. The surrounding area is fitted with lattice-patterned long windows. The front has a panel door, with a threshold as high as the knee, resembling a “grand bridal sedan chair.” Inside the hall, there are over ten black-lacquered book chests containing works such as Historical Records, Literary Essence, Jade Treasures, Bamboo Slips, Hanlin Essays, and National Treasures.

The Kuixing Pavilion is located behind the worship hall, five stone steps higher than the worship hall. It has a pyramidal roof adorned with a colorful painting of “two dragons playing with a pearl.” The octagonal structure is supported by four pillars and eight angles, each adorned with bronze bells—commonly known as wind chimes—that tinkle in the breeze, enhancing the tranquil ambiance. A horizontal plaque inscribed with the three characters “Kuixing Pavilion” hangs between the roof and the pavilion ceiling. The ceiling features a caisson dome, commonly called a fruit basket top or bridal sedan cover, decorated with a bas-relief carving of “a carp leaping through the dragon gate.” The base of the pavilion is built with strip stones, and red stone railings surround both sides. Stone pillars are topped with sculpted stone lions, gazing upward with endearing and lifelike expressions. Originally a place for worshipping the Kuixing deity, the pavilion resembles a pavilion with ventilation on all sides. Inside, six cacti have grown for 20 years, standing tall like incense sticks. In recent years, they have bloomed four times—each time producing white flowers, pure and pristine, a rare and delightful sight regarded as an “auspicious omen.”

Beneath the second-level pavilion roof of the Kuixing Pavilion is a sculpture of the Kuixing deity, standing on one leg with a red brush in hand, symbolizing “Kuixing marking the brilliant scholar.” The pavilion roof has three levels, with upturned eaves, green tiles, and red railings. Majestically towering under the blue sky, it stands out prominently within the academy as the highest structure.

Immediately behind the Kuixing Pavilion is the Wenchang Palace, closely connected to the pavilion with only a walkway in between. This was traditionally the worship site of the “Wenchang Emperor.” The Wenchang Palace also has a brick-and-wood structure with a flush gable roof. The central hall’s ceiling features an octagonal caisson decorated with carved brackets and five tiers of flower panels, with the concave surface showcasing a bas-relief of “dragons and phoenixes bringing prosperity.” Six red stone pillars stand in the palace, including one in the front corridor inscribed with a couplet composed by Zhong Qixun, a presented scholar from Xingguo, using the character “Xing” (Xingguo): “Prosper our small state, demonstrate literary virtue; the virtuous scholars of the nation, chosen by the Emperor’s heart.” On both sides of the central hall are auxiliary buildings, each with two floors and a total of two rooms, along with soft-panel wing rooms in front.

The front part of the palace features a canopy-style eave corridor, with one side door on each of its eastern and western ends leading directly outside.

The Chongsheng Shrine is located to the left of the Wenchang Palace, connected via a winding side room and separated by a front courtyard. It shares a brick-and-wood structure with a flush gable roof, double-layered upturned eaves, red walls, and red pillars. The double-flower lattice doors are supported by four wooden pillars. The central ceiling of the eave corridor features a colorful painting of “a qilin spitting out a jade book.” The central ceiling of the main hall is a caisson dome, with its concave surface carved into a “two lions rolling a ball” bas-relief. The sides feature four directional five-slope roofs, flowing clouds, arched bridges, and landscape paintings paired with poetry. The ceiling of the main hall is adorned with four symmetrical colored paintings: the first depicts “bees (symbolizing nobility) and monkeys (symbolizing rank) bowing to elephants (symbolizing ministers)”; the second shows “two ducks (symbolizing first place) delivering reeds (symbolizing announcement)”; the third is “a golden rooster heralding dawn”; and the fourth portrays “sparrows (symbolizing rank) and deer (symbolizing salary) alongside bees (nobility) and monkeys (rank).” These thought-provoking images invite deep contemplation.

Fourteen meters in front of the auxiliary building is a three-bay stone memorial archway, carved with dragon heads, lion bodies, floral patterns, swirling clouds, and drums… The exquisite craftsmanship, smooth lines, and graceful designs make it a masterpiece of stone carving art, truly breathtaking.

Lianjiang Academy boasts exceptional architectural artistry, possessing both historical and cultural value as well as modern revolutionary significance. It served as Mao Zedong’s residence in April 1929. That year, Mao wrote the famous “Xingguo County Land Law,” sparking the surging tide of overthrowing landlords and redistributing land. It inspired 100,000 brave men of Xingguo, like lions with bristling manes, to roar their way into joining Chairman Mao’s Red Army and the revolution. It gave rise to Xingguo’s renowned titles as the “County of the Red Army,” “County of Generals,” “County of Martyrs,” and “Model County for Creating First-Class Work.”

Lianjiang Academy is like a radiant pearl, an eternal monument.

Lianjiang Town: Located in the heart of Xingguo County and within the county seat, Lianjiang Town lies in a hilly plain region and serves as the political, economic, and cultural center of the entire county. Formed in April 2000 through the merger of the former Lianjiang Town and Wuliting Township, the town government is stationed on Lianjiang Avenue. It currently has 102 on-duty staff members, 23 internally retired, 42 retired, and 1 retired due to old age.

The town administers 12 administrative villages, 8 neighborhood committees, and 192 village (neighborhood) resident groups, with a total population of over 127,000 and a total area of 51.6 square kilometers. It includes 12 village primary schools and 1 health clinic. The transportation is convenient... More detailed information about Lianjiang Town++