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Guozijian, the Imperial College during the Yuan, Ming and
Qing dynasties, can be found in Beijing's Chengxian or Guozijian
Street; it is also the site of the Kong Miao, or the Confucius
Temple.
Established in the Yuan Dynasty, the Guozijian was the heart
of China's highest educational administration and college
from the 1200s to the end of the Qing dynasty in the 20th
century. Qing emperors gave lectures there following
their coronations, their ministers and scholars would stand
outside, listening. For the hard of hearing, officials
stood beside the emperor and repeated everything in a loud
voice.
It also served as an advanced research institute for top researchers
and scholars, including many from foreign countries. In the
20th century, the author, Lu Xun, worked in the Guozijian
to catalog, clean and sort the books there.
Two steles at the main gate read, Dismount Here in
Chinese and in five other minority languages.
Centuries-old cypress trees dot the courtyard. The most
famous is called Chu Jianbo, believed to be a human spirit
who could differentiate good from evil. It is said that the
tree once exposed Yan Song, a minister during the Ming, as
a corrupt official by lifting his cap and dropping it on his
head. The Qianlong emperor (Qing), named a small lake
in the compound Ink Lake. According to legend, writers
who drank from Ink Lake would have an endless source of inspiration
and could therefore easily pass imperial examinations.
Piyong Hall, the main hall of Guozijian, stands in a courtyard
lush with ancient trees and is surrounded by a pool. Piyong
Hall was designed and built to duplicate an image from a legend
of deities lecturing in a hut on a small island. One
of two wells in a pavilion at Guozijian's entrance still produces
the water flowing to this pool. Water is now pumped
from the well and channeled through an underground tunnel
to circulate in the pool.
Rooms in the west courtyard formerly served as Guojizian classrooms
but they now house Beijing Young People's Library, a place
were many middle school students congregate to read or do
homework.
The Temple of Confucius stands on 20,000 square meters of
the grounds of the Guozijian. Emperors of the Yuan,
Ming and Qing dynasties regularly conducted ceremonies honoring
Confucius in the temple's Dacheng Hall, or Great Achievement
Hall. Ten stone drums from the Qianlong reign still
stand at the Dacheng Hall.
Of the more than 50,000 people during the Yuan, Ming and Qing
dynasties, who successfully took examinations and became
jingshi, the basic grade of a successful candidate in
imperial examinations, all have their names, their origins
and positions inscribed on 198 steles on either side of Dacheng
Gate. Some famous historical figures whose names are
carved on these steles include: |
