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Shuyuanmen - the receding figure of the ancient capital
The Guanzhong Academy of Ancient Learning is now Xi'an Teachers'
School. Numerous imperial exam participants once worked diligently in this area.
Even though these people have long gone, they have left behind their studies,
schools, legacies, and diligent spirit. The students in the school now have
inherited the fortunes of those before them. With their majors as teachers, they
are bound to pass the spirit to more people.
The street
Upon walking down to the end of the South Street from the Bell
Tower of Xi'an, and then turning east at the South Gate, one can see three
golden characters of "Shuyuanmen" on an archway decorated in a grand and
unaffected style. On the two sides of the archway are a set of couplets, reading
"The Forest of Steles collect the national treasure; the academy of ancient
learning nurtures outstanding talents."
Shuyuanmen neighbors the South Gate on the west and
overlooks Wenchang
Gate on the east. The Baohua Temple pagoda, which was first built in the Tang
Dynasty (618-907), and the Forest of Steles are on each end of the street.
Classic architecture dots both sides of the street, and the ground is paved
with bluestones. The Guanzhong Academy of Ancient Learning boasts a very grand
scale. There are six major lecture halls in the middle, with six dormitories on
the east and west sides. Behind the main buildings there is a rockwork, which is
deemed as a "small Mount Huashan" (one of the five most famous mountains in
China) near Xi'an. In front of the lecture halls is a small pool, in which
stands a pavilion,
and a stone bridge is linked to the pavilion. There are duplex gates holding
back the grandeur. The first gate has two poles, and the second four, with each
pole containing the writings of famous scholars.
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