Jinwihyanggyo Local Confucian School Daeseongjeon Hall

A hyanggyo was a public educational institution established in the provinces during the Joseon period, where memorial rites were held for Confucius, the scholar of China's Spring and Autumn period, and other sages, and where local people received education. A hyanggyo typically comprises the Daeseongjeon Hall enshrining Confucius, the Dongmu and Seomu halls enshrining former sages, the Myeongnyundang lecture hall where students studied, and the Dongjae and Seojae dormitories where they lodged. Jinwi Hyanggyo is said to have first been built in the early Joseon period, though this is not certain. After all its buildings burned down during the Byeongja War, the conflict between Joseon and Qing China in 1636–1637, the school was repaired on several occasions, and most of its buildings, including the Daeseongjeon Hall, were rebuilt in the late 19th century. The Dongjae and Seojae dormitories were newly built in 1987, and the Myeongnyundang was rebuilt in 1992. The buildings that survive today are the Daeseongjeon Hall, the Myeongnyundang, the Dongjae and Seojae dormitories, the outer and inner three-bay gates, and the red spiked gate. The Daeseongjeon Hall measures three bays across the front and three bays along the side. It stands on a foundation of natural stone with round pillars, and the front bay forms a toetgan, an open space enclosing the building's core where only pillars are erected, without walls, serving the hall's function. The front of the building uses igikgong brackets, whose ends are carved into two wing-like projections resembling a bird's wings, together with double eaves, while the rear uses muriikgong brackets, whose ends are carved into a rounded shape, together with single eaves. The roof is a gabled roof that, seen from the side, takes the shape of the Chinese character 人, meaning "person." The Daeseongjeon Hall of Jinwi Hyanggyo is not a large building, but it clearly reflects 18th-century architectural technique.

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Where it is

Region

Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료