Yunlong Academy

Yunlong Academy has a history of over 300 years and is located on the western slope of Yunlong Mountain. The academy was founded in the 60th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign during the Qing Dynasty (1721 AD), when Jiang Zhao, the prefect of Xuzhou, established a charitable school at Huangmao Gang on the western slope of Yunlong Mountain in Xuzhou. By 1735, Li Genyun, another prefect of Xuzhou, transformed the charitable school into an academy. In 1887, at the invitation of Xuzhou prefect Gui Zhongxing (1833-1897), the famous lyricist and top imperial examinee Feng Xu became the head of Yunlong Academy. Scholars such as Wang Qinlin and Liu Xiang served as teachers, nurturing students including Han Zhizheng, who was elected as a congressman of the Republic of China during President Sun Yat-sen's tenure. Other students from the same period included Xu Shuzheng, Zhang Boying, Zhang Yunsheng, Han Zhizheng, Qi Shizhuo, and Wu Zhitong. After the Xinhai Revolution, Yunlong Academy was destroyed in wars, having existed for 182 years. The reconstruction project of Yunlong Academy was completed in 2014, consisting of seven courtyards from north to south. Along the central axis, there are sequentially a gatehouse, main gate, second gate, passageway, lecture hall, Wenchang Pavilion, and Yifu Hall, all of which are ancient Chinese double-eaved buildings, decorated with dark red glazed roof tiles. The overall architectural structure is brick and wood, maintaining the representative appearance of Qing Dynasty architecture.