Osmanthus Academy

Osmanthus Academy

The Osmanthus Academy in Yunyan Town is located at the foot of the mountain on the left side of Chushuiyan Village, facing south. It is a single-story building constructed with brick, wood, and board tiles. The structure spans five meters in width and over ten meters in depth, with an overall height of about eight meters and a total area of over 130 square meters. The main entrance is situated at the front left, arranged along the central axis. Inside, there is a courtyard, one classroom, and six surrounding wing rooms, including dormitories, a kitchen, and storage rooms. The roof features gable walls in the style of fire-prevention designs atop peaks, with fan-shaped tile ornaments, drip tiles, and water spouts. The building is surrounded by windows to provide ample light for the students’ studies. During the late Ming Dynasty, Mr. Li Bingzhong, a former court official, taught at the Osmanthus Academy for over a decade. He dedicated himself wholeheartedly to spreading Central Plains culture and trained a large number of literati and officials for the Liao family of Zhuyan. Dozens of his students later achieved scholarly honors, with some attaining high-ranking government positions such as Minister of Rites, Provincial Governors, County Magistrates, Second-Class Scholars (Bangyan), and Third-Class Scholars (Tanhua), serving the imperial court.