Shuangfeng Academy

Shuangfeng Academy

Shuangfeng Academy, located in Yongfeng Town, Xiangxiang (now part of Shuangfeng, Loudi), Hunan. In the 10th year of the Qianlong reign (1745) during the Qing Dynasty, County Magistrate Zhang Tianru established a free school. In the 25th year (1760), County Magistrate Zhang Dongda and Junior Prefect Shen Taixi each donated their salary silver to advocate for the construction of new school buildings. The locals from Zhongli responded enthusiastically, collectively raising over a thousand taels of silver to purchase the garden land at Yongfeng’s Yongjia Wharf as the foundation site. Since a pair of peaks stood facing the school buildings, it was named Shuangfeng Academy. Moreover, it was close to the confluence of two rivers (Mei River and Si’an River), offering a quiet environment suitable for teaching. The local scholar Zhu Yaojie once composed a couplet: “Where two streams converge, seek the living waters here; where twin peaks stand opposite, where else can one look up to such heights?”

In the 5th year of the Daoguang reign (1825), County Magistrate Hu Jun and Juren Huang Ting expanded the academy by adding lecture halls and study rooms. In the 2nd year of the Tongzhi reign (1853), a literary pagoda was built on the opposite bank of the academy, attracting an increasing number of students. In the 8th year of the Tongzhi reign (1869), local gentry including Zeng Guohuang, Cheng Yijing, and Cheng Jingnei further expanded the academy by adding 16 study rooms, 3 halls, and a stone-paved path in front of the gate. The scale grew even grander, making it the foremost educational institution in Zhongli.

The main hall of the academy, the Dacheng Hall, enshrined Confucius and the “Long Live the Emperor” tablet. The side halls honored “sages and philosophers.” On the first Ding day of the second month and the eighth month in spring and autumn, the annual Ding Sacrifice was held, and on August 27th, Confucius’ birthday was commemorated. All students, faculty, and local officials and gentry were required to participate in the ceremonies. On the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, as well as at the beginning and end of each school term every year, the teachers and students had to line up and perform the three kowtows and nine prostrations before the tablets of the emperor and Confucius. They also performed similar obeisances during royal weddings, funerals, celebrations, and other important events.

The academy had one headmaster, known as the Mountain Elder, who oversaw all major affairs. The Mountain Elder was selected by local officials from among the juren (successful candidates in the imperial examinations at the provincial level) in the region who were “learned and of good character,” with individuals such as Deng Linggao, Zhu Daotan, Xie Xiaomo, Zeng Xiwen, and Jiang Chengqiu serving in this role over time. Additionally, seasoned scholars with official academic degrees were chosen to serve as scripture teachers, dividing teaching duties with the Mountain Elder. As for miscellaneous tasks such as managing stipends and meals, they were handled on a rotating basis by the students.

Students were collectively referred to as shengyuan or shengtong. They were selected by local officials as “outstanding talents from the countryside” and recommended to join the academy. There was no fixed duration of study, and those who did not follow instruction could be dismissed. During the Qianlong–Jiaqing period, there were typically thirty to forty students; after the 8th year of the Xianfeng reign (1858), the number increased to fifty to sixty.

The academy aimed to cultivate ruling talent for the feudal dynasty. The students primarily pursued success in the imperial examinations and official careers, so emphasis was placed on studying the classics and history, practicing contemporary literary arts, composing examination poems, writing personal statements, and studying the Great Qing Legal Code and Neo-Confucian philosophy. Learning was mainly self-directed, with scripture teachers providing only essential lectures and individual guidance. Notable students who studied here included Luo Zenan and Wang Longwen.

In the 28th year of the Guangxu reign (1902), the academy was converted into a school for training scholars, and the following year into a higher elementary school. Cai Hesen once studied here. In 1941, it became the Xiangxiang County Junior High School. In 1951, when Shuangfeng County was first established, it merged with the Xiangxiang Second Girls’ Vocational School to form Shuangfeng County No. 1 Middle School.

Yongfeng Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Shuangfeng County. It is the seat of the county government. Originally named Dingsheng Town, it was established as Yongfeng Town in 1949, later changed to a township and commune, with frequent changes in its boundaries. In 1984, Yongfeng Town was re-established, and in 1989, Donghua, Dengta, and Jintian townships were incorporated. Located in the central part of the county, on the west bank of the Mei River, it covers an area of 90 square kilometers with a population of 83,000. National Highway 320 and Provincial Highways 1847 and 1822 run through the town, which is 20 kilometers from Santangpu, Hongshan, and Shuanglian railway stations. The town administers Shiping, Xichong, Modao, Guangcai, Honghe, Qingshan, Chengping, Baiyang, Wusi, Yuanshi, Nan’an, Fengjiang, Jintian, Yangshu... More detailed information about Yongfeng Town++