Bupyeong Hyanggyo Confucian School

Bupyeong Hyanggyo, below Gyeyangsan in Incheon, traces its roots back to 1127. That year a school was founded here by order of Goryeo's King Injong; whenever the district changed its name, the school's name and site moved with it. The present buildings were rebuilt after the Manchu invasion of 1636, and the school sits quietly in a residential street just north of Gyeongin National University of Education.

A school that followed the district

In 1127, by royal order, Suju Hyanggyo was founded below Gyeyangsan, in today's Oryu-dong, Gyeyang-gu. It seems that schools were founded in all 56 provinces of the country at that time. When the district office, Annam Dohobu, moved to Gyesan-dong (then called Onsugol) in 1165, the school is thought to have moved south of Annamsan, to what is now Gyesan 2-dong. In 1310 the district became Bupyeong-bu, and the school became Bupyeong Hyanggyo.

The shrine buildings burned down completely during the Manchu invasion of 1636, and the school was rebuilt on its present site in 1688. The buildings standing today date from the 18th century or later and have been repaired several times. It was designated an Incheon Tangible Cultural Heritage on 9 November 1990.

What to see

• Main gate: a red gate painted with taegeuk symbols at the top of a flight of steps.
• Myeongnyundang: the lecture hall, with a hipped-and-gabled roof.
• East and west dormitories: where students boarded, with simple gabled roofs, green lattice doors and red pillars.
• Daeseongjeon and side shrines: the ritual area behind the lecture hall, honouring the Five Sages of China and 18 Korean scholars. The main shrine is plainer in structure than at most hyanggyo.

The layout puts the teaching area in front and the shrine behind. Old records mention other buildings, such as a hall for preparing ritual food, but these no longer survive.

From school to shrine

In the Joseon period the school taught students with land, servants and books granted by the state. Today its teaching role has gone and only the rites remain, with the seokjeon ceremony for the sages still held every spring and autumn.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: how much is open depends on the school. Contact the hyanggyo in advance if you want to see the shrine area.
• Getting there: it is about 800 m in a straight line from Gyesan Station on Incheon Subway Line 1, and about 200 m north of the main gate of Gyeongin National University of Education.
• Time needed: 20–30 minutes for the school alone.
• Nearby: about 500 m away, inside Bupyeong Elementary School, stands the old Bupyeong district office (an Incheon Tangible Cultural Heritage). Probably built after Bupyeong became a dohobu in 1413, the surviving hall is six bays by two under a hipped-and-gabled roof, and a ginkgo of about 600 years, probably planted at the time, stands beside it. Its square pond lined with long dressed stones, Yogeunji, is where King Jeongjo is said to have practised archery and washed his hands in 1789, on his way to pay respects at the tomb of his father, Crown Prince Sado. Because it is on school grounds, access may be restricted. Hikers can pair the visit with Gyeyangsan.