Anseonghyanggyo Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo was a local educational institution established by the state to hold memorial rites for Confucius and other sages and to educate and edify local residents. Anyone of commoner status or above could enroll, and the main subjects taught were sajanghak (composing poetry and prose) and gyeonghak (the study of Confucian classics and history). The number of students admitted to a hyanggyo was adjusted according to the size of the district, with a gun (county) generally accommodating 50 students and a hyeon (sub-county district) 30. According to the Dongguk yeoji seungnam, Anseonghyanggyo is presumed to have been built before 1486, though the exact date is unknown. In its layout, the lower area holds the educational space — Myeongnyundang (the lecture hall), the Dongjae and Seojae (the east and west student dormitories), and Punghwaru (a pavilion) — while the upper area holds the ritual space, Daeseongjeon (the main shrine hall) together with the Eastern and Western Mu (subsidiary shrine halls), giving the complex the typical arrangement of lecture hall in front and shrine behind. What sets Anseonghyanggyo's architecture apart from other hyanggyo is Punghwaru. Where most hyanggyo have a three-bay outer gate at the entrance, Anseonghyanggyo instead has the two-storey pavilion Punghwaru, with a passageway on the ground floor and a wooden floor on the upper storey; this upper floor is thought to have served both for hyanggyo events such as hyangeumjurye (village wine-drinking ceremonies) and giroyeon (banquets for elders) and as a resting place for students.

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Where it is

Region

Anseong, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료