Jiaxiu Academy

Jiaxiu Academy

Jiaxiu Academy is located inside the North Gate of Jiazi Town, Lufeng City. Built during the Ming Dynasty, it has long been a gathering place for scholars in eastern Guangdong to lecture and study. To this day, the academy preserves many stone steles and inscriptions from various dynasties. After the liberation, the People's Government established a middle school here, which became a cradle of talent. Many officials at the provincial and municipal levels, as well as key figures in various industries, have studied here.

The Sky-Supporting Rock is located beside Jiaxiu Academy. It is a massive rock that stands tall and rises abruptly, exuding an imposing aura as if it could pierce the heavens. Midway up the rock grows a banyan tree with twisted roots and lush, vibrant foliage. It is said that practicing martial arts facing the Sky-Supporting Rock can help one develop the strength to support the sky, hence many people have made it a habit to train there. The rock stands about fifty to sixty feet high and over twenty feet wide. At its base is carved a four-character poem in bold, powerful strokes as large as a bowl: “Heaven opened in the year of Jiazi, a giant rock looms by the gate. A thunderous clap shakes heaven and earth…” The rest of the verses, eroded by time and covered in moss, have become blurred and illegible.