Longguang Academy

Longguang Academy

Longguang Academy, located in Rongtang within the southwestern part of Fengcheng, at the site of the ancient county seat of Fengcheng, is a renowned private academy established during the Song Dynasty and named by Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou. It is listed in the *Chinese Academies Dictionary*. In the first year of Daguan during the Northern Song Dynasty (1107), Chen Rui (courtesy name Yinglong, who served as Grand Minister of Justice) moved to Ronghu. The very first thing he did upon settling was to establish an unflinching school in Rongtang. Ming Dynasty’s Chen Tingzhang wrote in *Facts about Longguang Academy*: “My ancestor, Yinglong Gong from Ronghu, in the Dinghai year of Daguan during the Song Dynasty, established an academy on the site of the former Feng County seat, adjacent to where the Jin official Lei Kongzhang (Lei Huan) unearthed the divine swords. The Sword Pond became famous throughout the land. Inspired by the beautiful landscape, he was determined to establish a charitable school to educate both local villagers and scholars from afar. He donated 500 mu of fields from the Sword Pond Temple, mountain temples, bridges, and embankments to support the school, which deeply moved people far and wide.” In the second year of Jianyan during the Southern Song Dynasty (1128), “his son Ke, following his father’s will, upheld the founding vision and further improved the establishment, providing even better support.” Chen Zifu stated in *A Letter Offering Images of Confucius to the Kong Family Ancestral Temple*: “In Fuzhou’s Fengcheng, where the purple aura uniquely resides, the charitable school was founded beside the Sword Pond on the site of the ancient county seat. With fields allocated to support it, teachers were employed, and students gathered in large numbers.” In April of the second year of Shaoxing (1132), “a true image of the Sage was brought back from the Confucius Temple in Donglu (Shandong) to be enshrined in the academy.” In the same year, “the authorities reported to the court, and the academy was bestowed the name ‘Longguang’ by imperial decree.” In the sixth year of Qiandao (1170), “Ziyang Zhu Fuzi (Zhu Xi) was invited to write the *Record of the Xinguang Hall*.” By then, the architectural structure of the academy had begun to take shape. *The Chen Family Genealogy* states: “Later, Fu’s son, Chen Jiaqing (awarded the title of Wenlin Lang and magistrate of Shanggao County), together contributed funds to build the Wanqing Studio and Wangguang Pavilion on the right side of the academy, creating spaces for viewing and resting.” During the Yuanda era of the Yuan Dynasty, “Chen Biqiang of the Great Yuan, along with his brother Zongqiang, collaborated on the academy and constructed the Baoqi Tower east of the Sword Pond.” Yuan Dynasty scholar and National University academician Chen Zongqiang “rebuilt the lecture hall, expanded the fields to 1,000 mu, and provided support for over 300 scholars from all directions.” This made “Longguang Academy extremely splendid in its establishment,” growing into a sizable academy. *Facts about Longguang Academy* records the main structures: “At the center stands the main hall, behind it the Six Classics Tower, dining hall, lecture hall, side rooms, and over 400 study rooms for students, all neatly arranged.” Yuan Dynasty scholar Ouyang Guizhai (Ouyang Xuan) visited and “rewrote the plaques for Longguang Academy and Wenming Hall, as well as composing a preface, making the academy’s fame spread far and wide,” rivaling the White Deer Grotto Academy on Mount Lu. For over 800 years until the end of the Qing Dynasty, the academy underwent multiple renovations. Chen Zhi Zhang wrote in *Record of the Academy’s Charitable Fields*: “In the late Yuan Dynasty, the Red Turban rebels ravaged villages, and the academy was burned down. Countless refugees perished or went missing.” In the second year of Hongwu during the Ming Dynasty (1369), “with peace restored, Xicheng Gong, together with his nephew Qieyuan and Liangce, Liangchi, and 26 others, pooled funds to rebuild the academy.” Over a decade later, several hundred taels of silver were raised to rebuild the Six Classics Tower and Xinguang Hall among other structures. In the third year of Jiajing during the Ming Dynasty (1524), County Magistrate Pan Ying followed imperial orders to renovate the academy, which was further repaired in August of the 27th year of Jiajing (1548). By the Wanli era, the academy was once again destroyed by war and had to be rebuilt to restore its original appearance. In the fifth year of Daoguang (1800), 14 descendants of the Chen family, including Chen Zhiping, collectively planned the academy’s restoration, raising 1,700 wen; in the eighth year of Xianfeng (1858), Chen Hanfei and six others donated 347 taels of silver for repairs, alongside additional contributions of 343 taels from various family branches. In the 34th year of Guangxu (1908), Chen Hanfeng and over 20 others donated 507,000 wen over five separate occasions for further renovations. These efforts helped preserve the original architectural scale and style of Longguang Academy, maintaining its normal teaching operations.

The architectural scale of Longguang Academy is one of the finest among all academies established in Fengcheng’s history. Its architectural style features the characteristics of a quadrangle layout. The compound faces south and is divided into front and rear sections. Along the central axis, there is first the main gate, with a stone plaque embedded with four black characters reading “Longguang Academy” in regular script, each character 2 meters long and 0.5 meters wide, which still exists today. In the center is the main hall, housing the statue of Confucius. Behind it is the Six Classics Tower, which stores over 3,000 volumes of classics. Further back is the Yangzhi Hall. On the eastern and western sides of the courtyard, there are side rooms in the front, while the middle section features lecture halls, clothing pavilions, guest houses, flower stands, over 100 study rooms, a dining hall, and Xinguang Hall (also known as Wenming Hall), all built with brick and wood structures. The total built-up area of the courtyard reaches 8,000 square meters. The entire compound is enclosed by red walls. Auxiliary structures outside the courtyard include mountain temples, Wangguang Pavilion, Sword Light Shrine, Wanqing Studio, and granaries. The entire compound covers an area of 25,000 square meters. The architecture is laid out rigorously and elegantly, with graceful and unique designs reflecting local characteristics. The area is shaded by ancient trees, with lush pines and cypresses, offering a beautiful environment. Throughout history, many renowned scholars lectured here and composed poems expressing their admiration for the scenery. The Song Dynasty Confucian scholar and Neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi lectured here for over a month and composed the poem *Longguang Academy*, praising it: “A belt of glory embraces the green hills, as the heavenly wind carries rain through the cloud pass. Trees float in empty emerald hues above the village, while springs cascade like flying rainbows into the rocky bends. Leopards rest in the crimson ridges with morning light concealed, while dragons rise in the Sword Pool with cold shimmer at night. Where does that chanting echo year after year? Mostly amid the tall trees east of the lake.” Ming Dynasty’s Gan Weiyin wrote eight scenic poems expressing his emotions toward the views: “Mist and Rain in Rongtang,” “Cloud Waves at Tapu,” “Moonlit Night at Sword Pool,” “Morning Bell at Mountain Temple,” “Fishing Fires at Three Han,” “Rice Fields with Tall Stalks,” “Wild Geese Descending in Rongtang,” and “Horse Carriages on Ancient Roads.” Qing Dynasty’s Gan Xingren, while lecturing here, composed the poem *Longguang Academy*, saying: “Longguang Academy is praised across the land, its grandeur rivals that of the White Deer Cave. Centuries after Zhu Xi’s departure, one can still sense the timeless charm.” These reflect just a glimpse of the academy’s former splendor.

From its founding until the first year of the Republic of China (1912), when the academy was converted into a school—then renamed a national school—the institution operated for over 800 years. It served as one of the foremost county-level institutions of higher learning, playing a crucial role in training candidates for the imperial examinations and holding a significant position in the educational history of Fengcheng. From the Song to the Qing Dynasty, many scholars, officials, and literati came here to study or teach. Qing Dynasty’s Chen Qizhang wrote in the *Preface to the Continued Genealogy Compilation*: “Our ancestor, Zifu Gong, selected the land, divided it, and established a charitable school and fields. He invited renowned scholars to teach, attracting many students from all directions.” Chen Zifu himself was the first to follow his father’s will, dedicating himself tirelessly to establishing and teaching at the school. In the sixth year of Qiandao (1170), he invited the eminent scholar Zhu Xi to lecture for over a month. Zhu Xi, in his *Record of the Xinguang Hall of Longguang Academy*, wrote: “In the year Gengyin of Qiandao, at the request of my friend Chen Zifu of Rongtang, I named the hall of the Longguang Academy he constructed: Xinguang.” He also inscribed the plaque “The Holy Way Illuminates the Heavens” for the academy, attracting numerous aspiring students who gathered to study. Chen Mingxu wrote in the *Genealogy Preface*: “Master Zhu stayed for over a month, with 400 students following him.” Other scholars who taught here included the locals Sheng Wenru (a successful candidate in the imperial examination of Chunxi, serving as Fengjielang official), Liu Chong (serving as an official in the Criminal Investigation Department), and Yu Ge (a successful candidate in the imperial examination of Chunxi, serving as the magistrate of Fangzhou, Hubei). Ming Dynasty’s Xu Jideng wrote in *The Record of Rebuilding Longguang Academy*: “In the Song Dynasty, Master Zhu stayed here for quite some time. Scholars such as Yu Qufei (Yu Ge) and Sheng Wenru were all considered exceptional, and they taught at Longguang Academy. Students came from everywhere to attend, making it a remarkable endeavor.” During the Yuan Dynasty, Chen Biqiang, Chen Benqiang, and Chen Zhi (a successful candidate in the imperial examination of Yuantong’s first year, serving as magistrate of Shanggao County) “resigned from office to return and teach, taking it upon themselves to revive literary culture, attracting many renowned scholars.” In the 13th year of Zhizheng (1353), the successful candidate Chen Ximing, Chen Xizai who served as an official in the Ministry of Justice, and Chen Tianxiang who was appointed by imperial decree as a consultant in the Ministry of War, successively served as headmasters. During the Ming Dynasty, Chen Yigongtai, a successful candidate in the imperial examination of the first year of Jingtai, served as an education officer in Huangxing, Shandong, and later retired to teach at the academy. Fan Zhaoxiang wrote in *The Record of Wenming Hall*: “Chen Xizhan passed the highest imperial examination and served as an imperial censor, eventually becoming the judicial commissioner of Guangdong,” and he also taught at the academy for many years. During the Qing Dynasty, local scholars such as Luo Ba (a successful candidate in the imperial examination of Qianlong, serving as magistrate of Huangpi, Hanyang), Ao Zonghu (a successful candidate in the imperial examination of Qianlong, serving as magistrate of Zhenping, Guangdong), Gan Xingren (a successful candidate in the imperial examination of Yongzheng, serving as magistrate of Lixian, Gansu), Lü Guanghuan (a successful candidate in the imperial examination of Jiaqing, serving as an internal clerk in the Grand Secretariat and professor in Ganzhou Prefecture), and Lü Rong (a successful candidate in the imperial examination of Jiaqing, serving as an official in the Ministry of Revenue) all resigned from office to return home and teach at Longguang Academy, nurturing a large number of talents for Fengyi. Qing Dynasty’s Yang Xibo wrote in the *Preface to the Rongtang Chen Family Genealogy*: “Since the grand establishment of the academy by the prefect on the county foundation, with Emperor Gaozong bestowing the name ‘Longguang,’ literary talent flourished. Many distinguished figures emerged from the Song Dynasty, with successful candidates emerging in great numbers.” Many successful candidates from Fengyi who passed the imperial examinations studied at this academy, especially during the Ming Dynasty. Xu Jideng wrote in the *Academy Record*: “Among the most notable disciples were Zhu Xueshi Shan (from Yan Mountain, Hutang), famed for his governance, who served as a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion. In the early years of the nation, Gan Buyi, known for his literary virtue, was highly regarded locally. And Chen Daixian, such as Tai, succeeded in the virtuous examination. The county scholar Zhao, known for his success in the imperial examination, became a famous imperial censor.”