Guozijian Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, is the only pailou street in Beijing. The solemn and quiet ancient buildings - the Guozijian and the Confucius Temple are located next to each other. As the country's highest institution of learning and educational administration in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the Imperial College in Beijing, as the "ancient central university", assumes traditional cultural and educational functions. It is currently the site of the highest ancient university in China that has been well preserved.

The Imperial College was first built in the sixth year of Dade in the Yuan Dynasty (1302 AD) and completed in the tenth year of Dade (1306 AD). It has a history of more than 700 years. The Imperial College is connected to the Confucius Temple through the Chijing Gate on the east side, forming a "left temple and right study", inheriting the endless and everlasting Chinese cultural context.

Passing through the Jixian Gate, the first gate of the Imperial College, and heading north through the Taixue Gate, you can see the glazed archway built during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The front and back are respectively "Huanqiao Jiaoze" and "Xuexue" inscribed by Qianlong's imperial pen. "Sea Festival View".

Not far from the glazed archway is a colorful statue - Ao. Nowadays, many parents will take their children to stroke the head of the statue, taking the beautiful meaning of "dominating" academically. To the north of the glazed archway is the Piyong Hall, which is located in the center of the circular pool and surrounded by cloisters.

The newly built Piyong Hall was the place where the emperor gave lectures. The highlight of the design is the use of angled beams instead of columns. The indoor space is magnificent and spacious. It is the only existing Piyong hall in China, which embodies the "unity of heaven, earth and man" in traditional Chinese culture. thought of.

The teaching content of the Imperial College is mainly based on the "Four Books and Five Classics", as well as courses on laws and regulations, calligraphy and other courses. The Imperial College published many Confucian classics and literature and history books, which played a role in unifying national teaching materials and inheriting Chinese civilization.

The "students" who attend classes at the Imperial College come from all over the world, and there were many "foreign students" in the past. Students from Ryukyu, North Korea, Vietnam and other places have studied at the Imperial College in Beijing. After completing their studies, they brought Chinese culture back to the country, which objectively promoted cultural exchanges and promoted Chinese culture to the world.

After more than 700 years, the Imperial College is still promoting Chinese culture to the world, continuing the historical context and writing contemporary chapters.

Translator: BAI Jing

Reviewer: LI Xiaochun