Qiongtai Academy in Haikou, Hainan province
 
 
 
Qiongtai Academy is located on Wenzhuang Road, in the Qiongshan District of Haikou City. It was initially built in 1705 in memory of Qiu Jun, a famous scholar from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The academy was named Qiongtai because Qiu Jun was called ‘Mr. Qiongtai’.
 
At one time, the academy was the supreme institution of Qiongshan. It is now the site of the Qiongshan Teachers’ Training School.
 
The main building of the academy is the ‘Kuixing Lou Building’. ‘Kuixing’ was believed to be the god of examinations and the building was named after Kuixing to ‘help’ the students who trained here to win the imperial examinations. The building is a typical Chinese brick-and-wood structure architecture with two floors. Green tiles, red corridors, carved beams and painted rafters are splendidly set off by the green trees which surround the building.
 
The events behind the famous story Search the Academy occurred here. Sometime during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a student of the academy fell in love with a maid of local governor. At that time, young people did not have the right to choose their husband or wife. So the governor was very angry after he found out about the relationship.
 
The maid escaped before he could punish her and ran into the academy for help. The governor wanted to search the academy, but the schoolmaster Xie Bao denied his request and sent the maid out of the city during the night. Finally, the maid and the student married. They lived happily together, and later the student succeeded in the imperial examinations.
 
Address:  Wenzhuang Road, Qiongshan District, Haikou, Hainan

 

 
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