Mazhou Academy

Throughout history, numerous academies were established in Jingjiang. Among them, Mazhou Academy boasts the earliest founding date, longest history and far-reaching influence. The present Mazhou Academy is located on the campus of Jingjiang No.1 Middle School.

Mazhou Academy was first founded in the 4th year of the Jianyan reign of the Southern Song Dynasty (1130), more than 300 years before Jingjiang was officially designated a county. Its founder was Kong Yuanqian, the 51st-generation descendant of Confucius. Originally a resident of Taixing, Kong Yuanqian later moved to Xisha in western Jingjiang. Finding no place for local youths to pursue studies, he funded the construction of an academy near the ancestral shrine of the Kong clan in Xisha, naming it Mazhou after Matuosha, an ancient alias for Jingjiang. The original academy was later lost to oblivion, yet no surviving historical records explain its disappearance.

In the 9th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty (1636), Chen Hanhui took office as Magistrate of Jingjiang. Two years after assuming his post, he launched a major expansion of Ying’en Pavilion. First, a memorial archway was erected south of the fence, leading inward along a path lined with parasol trees on one side and bamboo groves on the other, with a gated barrier set at the midpoint. Past the gate lay a stone bridge and an ancient well, beneath which stretched a Release Pond. To the east of the pond stood a stone sluice gate that could be opened to draw in tidal water from the Yangtze River. South of the sluice was a grotto, and five houses stood north of the bridge. Slightly to the east rose a multi-story pavilion named Guanyin Pavilion, built beside the pond at a height of over 20 meters. Climbing the pavilion offered a panoramic view of the county town, open countryside, hills and rivers. Further west from the pavilion stood over twenty rooms including a multi-story tower, all interconnected by covered winding corridors. The entire compound was enclosed by white-plastered walls topped with small black tiles, presenting a solemn yet elegant appearance, forming a fully standardized ancient academy. In memory and reverence of the ancient Mazhou Academy built by predecessors, Chen Hanhui retained the original name Mazhou Academy for this new complex.

Only a few years afterward, troops of the Qing Dynasty crossed the Shanhai Pass, and the Mazhou Academy painstakingly built by Chen Hanhui was reduced to rubble amid warfare. A severe riverbank collapse occurred in the 18th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1813), washing away all ruins of Chen Hanhui’s academy into the Yangtze. During this interval, descendants of Confucius constructed another academy also bearing the name Mazhou Academy beside Yongning Bridge at Liusi Harbour in Xisha, which fell into ruin shortly after completion. Thus Mazhou Academy saw three constructions and three destructions, leaving a lasting regret in local history.

In the 30th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1850), Jia Yiqian became Magistrate of Jingjiang. Learning the vicissitudes of Mazhou Academy filled him with profound emotion. Out of deep respect for the academy’s founders, he submitted an official petition to higher authorities to rename Zhengyi Academy Mazhou Academy. Zhengyi Academy, situated inside the South City Gate (the present site of Jingcheng Middle School), had been erected in the 10th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1745) by Magistrate Yang Fengtai. It contained seventeen rooms in total: five front halls, five lecture halls, five rear halls and two side wing rooms. Its scale naturally paled in comparison to the grand academy built by Chen Hanhui.

In the 31st year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1905), the imperial government issued an edict abolishing the imperial civil service examinations and establishing modern schools. By then, the academy renamed from Zhengyi Academy had ceased to exist, so the county government built Jingjiang County Higher Primary School on its original site.

The core building of the primary school was a distinctive two-story square compound shaped like the Chinese character “kou” (a closed square). At its center lay a square courtyard planted with parasol trees, earning it the secondary name Parasol Lodge. Covered corridors encircled both the ground and upper floors, allowing people to move between rooms without exposure to wind, rain or blazing sun. Owing to its historical ties to Mazhou Academy, the building was designated a County-level Cultural Relic Protection Unit in 1983. By 1984, the ancient wooden structure had fallen into disrepair and begun to crumble. With approval from the county government, Jingcheng Middle School demolished the old building and erected a new palace-style concrete structure still bearing the name Mazhou Academy. Though it is neither a restoration of the original ancient academy nor possesses the architectural characteristics and cultural relic value of the old square two-story building, it carries forward the historical lineage of Mazhou Academy and deserves equal cherishment.