Chao Mountain Academy

Chao Mountain Academy

Chao Mountain Academy is located in the fourth courtyard along the central axis of the Pingyao Confucius Temple. Just past the Hall of Clarifying Human Relationships lies the largest academy in Pingyao, now converted into the country’s largest imperial examination museum.

At the time of its establishment, the social and economic conditions of Pingyao were no longer the same as in the Kangxi era, but Shanxi merchants were growing rapidly, and the draft bank banking industry was also gradually emerging. This enabled the merchants to generously fund the academy, giving Chao Mountain Academy an extra boost and contributing to its increasing prosperity.

The academy served as a local educational institution aligned with the national imperial examination system, where children received their foundational education and enlightenment. However, in Pingyao, influenced by the philosophy of “studying well leads to business,” the academy not only taught students the essential Four Books and Five Classics but also devoted more time to subjects such as calligraphy, abacus calculation, and social skills — what later generations refer to as the three treasures of the Shanxi merchants’ success in business.

Merchants were keen to support education, and students were enthusiastic about business. This created an interactive relationship between commercial and educational development in Pingyao, forming the distinctive Confucian educational characteristics of Chao Mountain Academy during the Qing Dynasty.

Address: On the former site of the Guta Academy