Gwangju Hyanggyo Confucian School

In the Joseon era this was the public school of the Gwangju district and the place where rites were held for Confucius and other sages. It sits at the northern foot of Sajik Park in the middle of the city, yet its red spiked gate, stone stairs, shrine hall and lecture hall keep their old layout. It is at its most atmospheric in autumn, when its old ginkgo tree turns gold.

A school that fled tigers and floods

Gwangju Hyanggyo is said to have been founded around 1398, in the seventh year of King Taejo, below Jangwonbong peak on the western side of Mudeungsan. Tigers appeared there so often that it was moved inside the town walls near the east gate, and when that low-lying spot kept flooding, magistrate Kwon Su-pyeong moved it again to its present site in 1488. It burned during the Japanese invasion of 1597 and was rebuilt in 1600 by officials and townspeople together, then repaired several times since. It was listed as Gwangju city heritage in 1985.

What to see

• Hongsalmun and the outer gate: pass through the red gate with its rows of spikes to reach the three-door outer gate.
• Myeongnyundang and the dormitories: the lecture hall where students studied, facing the east and west dormitories across a neat lawn.
• Daeseongjeon: the shrine hall, raised on stone steps, holds the spirit tablets of 25 sages: Confucius with Yanzi, Zengzi, Zisi and Mencius, two Song-dynasty scholars and eighteen Korean Confucian scholars of the Joseon era.
• Seasonal trees: in autumn an old ginkgo turns gold above the tiled roofs, and in summer the crape myrtles flower red.

A Confucian school still in use

In spring and autumn the hyanggyo holds Seokjeon, the rite honouring Confucius. It also runs programmes such as a traditional village-school class, tea ceremony and hanbok sessions and traditional weddings, which is what makes it feel like a living place rather than a museum piece.

What is a hyanggyo?

A hyanggyo was the state-run school that the Joseon government set up in every district. The core buildings are a lecture hall (Myeongnyundang) with east and west dormitories for the students, and a shrine hall (Daeseongjeon) with east and west side halls for the tablets of the sages. Gwangju Hyanggyo adds Munhoejae and Yangsajae halls, a Confucian community hall and an education centre. In recent decades the shrine hall was repaired and repainted in 1974, followed by the dormitories in 1976, the lecture hall in 1978 and the walls in 1981. The shrine hall stands on a high platform above stone steps, and looking up at it from the courtyard you feel the dignity of a place of ritual.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: entry is free, with listed hours of 09:00–18:00. On ceremony or event days some areas may be closed, so it is worth calling the hyanggyo first (+82-62-672-7008).
• Etiquette: use the side of the stairs to Daeseongjeon rather than the centre, and do not enter the halls.
• Time needed: 20–40 minutes for the grounds.
• When to go: early to mid-November for golden ginkgo leaves, or high summer when the crape myrtles flower.
• Getting there: about 1 km north of the Yangnim-dong History and Culture Village, roughly a 15-minute walk. There is a free car park.
• Combine it with: the Sajik Park observation tower and the old lanes of Yangnim-dong make an easy half-day walk.