Pyeongtaek Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo was a local public educational institution established in the regions during the Joseon dynasty, where memorial rites were held for Confucius (551-479 BC), the scholar of China's Spring and Autumn period, and for various sages, and where local people were educated. A hyanggyo comprises Daeseongjeon, the hall enshrining Confucius; Dongmu and Seomu, the halls on the east and west enshrining virtuous scholars of the past; Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall where students studied; and Dongjae and Seojae, the east and west dormitories where students boarded. There is also a Jeonsacheong, which oversees the ritual hall, among other buildings. Pyeongtaek Local Confucian School was built in 1413 and extended in 1445. It burned down during the Byeongja War (the conflict between Joseon and Qing China of 1636-1637) but was restored in 1797. During the Japanese colonial period it was briefly used as a farmers' school. Passing through the Hongsalmun (a red-painted gate with spear-like finials) at the entrance and the outer three-bay gate, one finds Myeongnyundang with Dongjae and Seojae inside. Myeongnyundang is five bays wide at the front and two bays deep, with a hip-and-gable roof that forms the shape of the character 八 (eight) when viewed from the side. On either side stand Dongjae and Seojae, the student dormitories. Daeseongjeon, located beyond the inner three-bay gate behind Myeongnyundang, enshrines the spirit tablets of Confucius and other sages and is where rites are held each spring and autumn. It is five bays wide at the front and three bays deep, with a gabled roof that forms the shape of the character 人 (person) when viewed from the side. During the Joseon dynasty the state provided land, slaves and books in support of the students' education, but today the teaching function has disappeared and only the memorial function remains.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료