Beijing Imperial Academy (Guozijian)
Attraction 13 Guozijian St, Dongcheng, Beijing, China Published on: 08-08-2016
| 1 hours 30 mins | |
| 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM | |
| 09:00 AM | |
| 10:30 AM | |
| First-time visit | |
|
Attraction
Cultural
Family
Historic
Must see
Kids
Architecture
|
|
| 4.42 USD |
Beijing Imperial Academy (Guozijian) is good for
Family with kids
Good
Senior
Good
Couple
Good
Solo
Good
Group
Good
- Highly recommended by fellow travellers.
and 2 others
have visited this place
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Why Beijing Imperial Academy (Guozijian) is special ?
Imperial academy is a kind of university in ancient China, and the history can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty (581–618). In ancient times, scholars who could do studies in imperial academy were regarded as sons of fortune. Up to now, Beijing Imperial Academy is the last one, going through Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is next to Beijing Confucian Temple and Yonghe Lama Temple. Facing south, the imperial academy features symmetrical architectural complex. On the central axis of the architectural complex, situate Jixian Gate, Taixue Gate, Memorial Archway, Biyong Hall, Yilun Hall and Jingyi Pavilion. All of them are architectural essence of Chinese traditional architectures, showing the unique architectural style of ancient China.
Source: http://www.chinahighlights.com/
What to explore at Beijing Imperial Academy (Guozijian)?
Upon entering the main gate, visitors will be confronted by a pair of wells as well as the Taixue (Highest Scholarship) Gate, also known as the Jixian (Assembled Virtue) Gate.
Inside this gate is a glazed tile memorial archway with bell and drum towers standing to the east and west.
In front of the gate is the famous Biyong (Jade Disc) Hall. The square pavilion, which lies in the center of a circular pond, has a double-eave roof surmounted by a gilded sphere.
The pond is crossed by four marble bridges and provided on four sides with stone spouts in the shape of dragon's heads. It was here that the emperor came occasionally to expound the classics to an audience consisting of civil and military officials from the imperial court and students of the Imperial College.
How to get to Beijing Imperial Academy (Guozijian)?
Visitors can take buses 13, 116 and 807 to get there and get off at Guozijian Station. Besides, visitors also can take subway 2 and subway 5, get off at Yonghegong Station, then get out of the station from Exit C (Southwest Exit), and the imperial academy is 200 meters ( away to the south.
Selling points
- Great Piyong Hall, the main architecture
- Unique architectural style of ancient China
- Chinese traditional architectures
- Architectural complex
- University in ancient China
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- Duration
- 4.0 days
- Estimated
- 143.03 USD
- Total travel distance
- km
- Number of places
- 12 places
Read more:
Location
13 Guozijian St, Dongcheng, Beijing, China
Tips for you
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The main street, called Guozijian, has intriguing new shops and storesShopping
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It's just across the street from the Lama TempleThings nearby
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It's perfect for visitors who need a break from the big city feel of Beijing.Experience
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Smart travelers can plan a double visit to Lama and Confucius temples and then stop at Mr Shi's for dumplings.Experience
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You can learn about chinese culture and about confucius hereExperience
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One of the best things to do is simply sitting in the quiet courtyard watching people go by.Things to do
Reviews
A very peaceful and beautiful place with fascinating history. However, it might be not worth it (unless you are a Confucius fan) to go out of your way to see it, if you are not visiting anything else in the area.
We really enjoyed visiting this temple. Very old trees and many people worshiping there. The buildings were gorgeous and well kept. Very reasonable entrance fee- about $5 and situated off an interesting hutong.
This was by far my best temple experience in Beijing. Away from the crowds and obnoxious tour groups, The Temple of Confucius felt very calm and peaceful in comparison. One of the best things to do is simply sitting in the quiet courtyard watching people go by. There is surprisingly a lot to see, I expected to spend less than an hour here, but ended up staying for almost 2. The buildings are traditional and well maintained, as are the grounds. There is a small but interesting museum of Confucius' life and every hour, on the hour between 10-4 there is a short dance performance (with english subtitles). By far the highlight for me though was the exhibition of stone slabs with the 13 great works of Confucius carved into them. It's something really worth seeing and made my visit all the more worthwhile. Sadly a lot of the historic sites in Beijing are so overrun with vendors and loud tourists that the history feels lost, yet this temple is one exception.
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