Chenghai Guanshan Academy

Chenghai Guanshan Academy

Guanshan Academy in Chenghai is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Guanshan Academy, located in present-day Chenghai District of Shantou City, features a famous couplet: “The Gate of Rites opens at Guanshan, following in the footsteps of the Deer Cave Academy; the Shore of the Way ascends to Chengshui, tracing back to the Apricot Altar for nobility and beauty.” The term “Guanshan” in the couplet refers to Guanshan Academy.

Historically, Guanshan Academy can be regarded as the birthplace of Chenghai’s culture. During the Qingli era of the Song Dynasty (1041–1048), Lu Tong, one of the Eight Eminent Scholars of Chaozhou, an imperial scholar of the Song Dynasty, and a master of the I Ching, found Guanshan to be “blessed with clear mountains and beautiful waters,” an elegant environment, and thus built a cottage here to study, later settling in Guanshan.

Lu Tong taught the local youth at the academy, making significant contributions to the cultural and educational development of Chenghai and even the Chaoshan region, turning Guanshan into the political and cultural center of Chenghai. Divine Mountain (Shenshan) stands as historical testament to the sages who preached, taught, and resolved doubts in Chenghai, symbolizing the people’s love for learning and thirst for knowledge. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Guanshan Academy once served as the teaching and administrative site for Guanshan Junior High School and the junior section of Shanghua Middle School. In the early 1980s, when the junior section of Shanghua Middle School relocated, the academy was left abandoned for a time. In the late 1990s, under the auspices of the Chenghai District Government, Guanshan Academy was restored.

Divine Mountain, also known as Guanshan, is home to the scenic view “Verdant Guanshan,” one of the ancient Eight Scenic Spots of Chenghai. With a long history and profound cultural heritage, it is a widely renowned tourist destination. Historically, Guanshan Academy can be regarded as the birthplace of Chenghai’s culture. During the Qingli era of the Song Dynasty (1041–1048), Lu Tong, one of the Eight Eminent Scholars of Chaozhou, an imperial scholar of the Song Dynasty, and a master of the I Ching, found Guanshan to be “blessed with clear mountains and beautiful waters,” an elegant environment, and thus built a cottage here to study, later settling in Guanshan. The current Guanshan community still preserves historical relics related to Lu Tong, such as the Yuelong Bridge.

Upon entering the academy gate, there is a spacious courtyard with two osmanthus trees and two large lotus ponds. The academy adopts a three-courtyard architectural layout. Adjacent to the main gate of the first courtyard are two wing rooms, and leading to the second and third courtyards are two covered corridors. The main hall of the second courtyard serves as the lecture hall, featuring 20 standard wooden door panels arranged as a screen door—eight in the middle and six on each side. Each door panel is inscribed with verses about encouraging and respecting learning by historical figures from the Ming Dynasty and earlier.

Inside the lecture hall stands a nearly 4-meter-tall white marble statue of Zhu Xi giving a lecture, holding a scroll, wearing a scholar’s cap, and with a kind expression. “Revering Zhu Xi in the front and Cai Nan in the back” is a tradition at Guanshan Academy. The beams of the lecture hall are adorned with numerous colorful paintings depicting vivid characters and beautiful building scenes, exquisitely and elegantly rendered. Exiting the lecture hall, one passes stone steps and a small door to reach the third courtyard. Connecting the third and second courtyards is a small open space, commonly referred to by the Chaoshan people as the back courtyard—essentially a long corridor that links the two halls front to back and connects the wing rooms and two rear gates on both sides. The main hall of the third courtyard has the same structure as the second, enshrining Cai Nan, the county magistrate who initiated the construction of the academy.

Guanshan Academy, situated at the northern foot of Divine Mountain, is a single-story, hip-and-gable timber and earthen structure covering an area of approximately 1,400 square meters. It enshrines Zhu Xi, Cai Nan, and the sages of Guanshan, and serves as a venue for lectures. In front of the academy lies the Academy Pond (commonly called Red Leaf Pond), with clear water reflecting the full view of the academy, earning it the title “A Mirror of the Hall” among the ancient Eight Scenic Spots of Divine Mountain. Behind the main hall of Guanshan Academy is also the Guanshan Literary Shrine, also known as the Kaoting Shrine, which enshrines the Southern Song Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi (1129–1200). As Zhu Xi’s posthumous title was “Wen” (literary), he is commonly referred to as Zhu Wen Gong, and his shrine is also called the Literary Shrine.

Since the Song Dynasty, successive generations of notable officials and literati have visited Divine Mountain, either building or establishing sites, composing poetry, inscribing plaques, carving inscriptions, and leaving behind a wealth of historical and cultural heritage. Professor Lin Lunlun, an expert in Chaoshan studies, once praised Guanshan Academy in writing: “The thriving culture of reading and the emergence of talent among the people of Chenghai, I believe, are nourished by the fine academic atmosphere of Guanshan Academy.”

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Guanshan Academy once served as the teaching and administrative site for Guanshan Junior High School and the junior section of Shanghua Middle School. In the early 1980s, when the junior section of Shanghua Middle School relocated, the academy was left abandoned for a time. In the late 1990s, under the auspices of the Chenghai District Government, Guanshan Academy was restored.

Chenghua Subdistrict: Located on the western side of Chenghai urban area, Chenghua Subdistrict covers an area of 13.05 square kilometers, with a population of over 70,000 and more than 50,000 overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, making it one of the well-known hometowns of overseas Chinese. Adjacent to Shantou city proper, Chenghua Subdistrict is 5 kilometers from Shantou International Airport, 10 kilometers from Shantou Port and the Guangmeishan Railway, and traversed by the Shenzhen–Shantou–Xiamen Expressway and National Highway 324 running north-south through the area.

In recent years, Chenghua Subdistrict has fully leveraged its favorable geographical advantages, actively improved its investment environment, accelerated the pace of domestic and international cooperation, and attracted numerous domestic and foreign merchants... More details about Chenghua Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Guangdong Province