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Beijing Guozijian Map

The Beijing Guozijian, also called the Imperial College or Imperial Acadamy, was the highest and most prestigious learning institute of the traditonal education system in ancient China for over 600 years, spanning a period of three dynasties — Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.. Located at the Guozijian Street(originally Chengxian Street) in Beijing, the Guozijian was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, and was reconstructed and renovated on a large scale during the Ming Dynasty.

The administrative officials of Guozijian were called Jijiu (the chief), Siye (Dean of Studies) and Jiancheng etc. The students who studied at the Guozijian were called Jian students, and they mainly studied Confucian classics. Emperors in imperial China would also frequently visit the Guozijian to read Confucian classics to thousands of students.

The complex of Guozijian accords with the Chinese tradition which dictate that the temple should be on the "left" and the school or college on the "right". To the east of the Guozijian, lies the Confucius Temple, the second largest Confucius temples of China and the Yonghegong Temple, the largest Lama Temple in Beijing. The whole complex faces south, and it has a total building area of more than 10,000 square meters.  Along the central axis of Guozijian are the Jixian Gate (the front gate), Taixue Gate (the second gate), the Glazed Archway, Biyong, Yiluntang, and Jingyiting (Jingyi Pavilion). On its east and west sides are the six halls and palaces in the traditional symmetrical layout.

Here one can slowly chew the cultural heritage of a thousand years old,  know more about the education system of ancient China and the stories of those people how hard they work to got the chance to take the imperial exames. The ancient trees at each side stand still, creating a tranquil atmosphere, offering you much for thought.