Xingxian Academy

Located in Xingxian Village, Wufu Town, it dated back to the period under the reign of Emperor Xiaozong in the Southern Song Dynasty. Zhu Xi once gave lectures here during his days in Wufuli. “Xingxian” is tantamount to “cultivating and recommending talents”. It was later devastated in early days of the Yuan Dynasty and was rebuilt with the support of Zhang Zhu, magistrate of Chong’an County in the 24th year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1898) initiated by 14 villagers including Lian Chengzhen. The academy originally then covered an upward of 2,000 square meters, and it is divided into 3 entrances. The front is the main hall, the middle is the academy, and the back includes the boarding house and Wenchang Pavilion. Its gate archway is towering and exquisitely constructed. It is decorated with brick-carved figures of flowers and birds with the vertical plaque of “Xingxian Academy” being inlaid on the stone and encircled by dragons and phoenixes in relief. The banner of the lintel is “Zhu Si Xin Yuan” (meaning Neo-Confucianism derived from Confucianism), the left reads “Li Men” (gate of rite), and the right is the banner is “Yi Lu” (road of just). The archway is majestic and solemn in shape and is imposing. In September 2018, the Fujian Provincial People’s Government announced it as among the ninth batch of cultural relics protection sites.