Yangjihyanggyo Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo was a state-run local educational institute established in the provinces during the Joseon dynasty, where memorial rites were held for Confucius, the scholar of China's Spring and Autumn period, and for various sages, and where local people were educated. A hyanggyo typically comprises Daeseongjeon Hall, which enshrines Confucius; Dongmu and Seomu, the east and west shrines enshrining former sages; Myeongnyundang Hall, the students' lecture hall; and Dongjae and Seojae, the east and west dormitories where students lodged. Yangjihyanggyo was built in 1523 and has since been repaired several times. In 2012, an excavation survey centred on Myeongnyundang Hall identified the site of a gongsacheong (a building for practical affairs) beside it and the site of Dongjae, and the complex was restored to its present form in 2014. The site is laid out on three terraced levels, with Myeongnyundang, the educational space, placed at the front and Daeseongjeon, the ritual space, at the rear—study in front, ritual behind. However, unlike other hyanggyo where Myeongnyundang and Daeseongjeon are aligned on a single axis, at Yangjihyanggyo the Myeongnyundang and Dongjae are set slightly to the left of Daeseongjeon's central axis. It is presumed that an outer three-bay gate and the Dongjae and Seojae dormitories originally stood to either side, but when they were demolished is not known. Daeseongjeon has a front of three bays and a side of two bays, with a gabled (matbae) roof forming the shape of the character 人 (person) when seen from the side. Myeongnyundang has a front of five bays and a side of two bays, with a hipped-and-gable (paljak) roof forming the shape of the character 八 (eight) when seen from the side, and consists of a central three-bay section flanked by the Dongsil and Seosil, heated ondol rooms. During the Joseon dynasty the state provided land, enslaved labourers and books to support the teaching of students here, but today the educational function has disappeared and only the ritual function remains.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongin, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료