Guyuan Guanlan Academy

Guyuan Guanlan Academy

Guanlan Academy is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Guanlan Academy is located in Xinxueshu Village, Daqiao Town, Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, Shaoguan. It was first built in the 58th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1793) and covers an area of approximately 1,500 square meters (some sources say 1,000 square meters). The academy has a four-courtyard, quadrangle layout with a structure made of blue bricks and wood. The first courtyard features the Gongxiu Gate (the gatehouse is built in the style of a fireproof wall, with diamond and square patterns made of bricks above the gate inscribed with the three characters “Gongxiu Men” (Gongxiu Gate), behind which lies the “Ziwei Gate”); the second courtyard is the Guanlan Gate; the third is the Mingde Hall; and the fourth is the Zishen Hall. There are three courtyards, one of which is the Yunxiang Courtyard. Since the academy was originally situated by the banks of the Daqiao River, with the main gate facing the surging, rippling waters of the river, it was named “Guanlan,” meaning “to view the waves.”

The village of Daqiao successively established three academies: “Shixi,” “BuChan,” and “Guanlan.” Each academy accommodated around thirty students at a time. Among them, Guanlan Academy is the largest in area and remains the best-preserved to this day.

Guanlan Academy was designated as a Cultural Relic Protection Unit of the fifth batch in Ruyuan County in August 2005 and was rated as a Provincial-Level Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 2012.

Daqiao Village: Daqiao Village…… More details about Daqiao Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units