Wando Island Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo was a state-established educational institution where memorial rites were held for Confucius and other sages, and where local people were educated and morally instructed. Wando Island Local Confucian School was built in 1897, the first year of the Gwangmu era, when the local functionary Kim Gwang-seon led the effort to construct it. It has since been repaired on several occasions down to the present day. The layout of the buildings follows the "lecture hall in front, shrine behind" format, arranged across three terraced levels. At the lowest level is Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall where students gathered to study; next are the Dongjae and Seojae, the east and west dormitories for students; and at the highest level is Daeseongjeon, the shrine hall where the memorial rites are held. Daeseongjeon measures three bays across the front and three bays to the side, with a gabled roof that forms the shape of the character 人 (person) when viewed from the side. Myeongnyundang measures four bays across the front and two bays to the side, built with a hip-and-gable roof that forms the shape of the character 八 (eight) when viewed from the side. During the Joseon period the state provided land, enslaved labourers and books to support the teaching of students, but today the educational function has disappeared and only the memorial rite function remains.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Wando, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료