Qiongtai Academy

Qiongtai Academy is the location where the story in the Cantonese opera ‘Searching the Academy’ takes place and is thus famous. Entering the academy, one can see plumeria trees on both sides. ‘Plumeria’ is also known as frangipani. The petals are white and the center is light yellow, dignified and elegant. It is extremely similar to egg yolk wrapped in egg white, hence the name plumeria. The main building of Qiongtai Academy, ‘Kuixing Tower’, is two stories high, with green tiles, red corridors and white walls. There are two statues in the courtyard, one of Zhang Yuesong, the number three scholar who taught at the academy, and one of Xie Bao, a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations. There are two small exhibition halls and a small museum in the academy. The museum displays a large number of stills and detailed historical materials of ‘Searching the Academy’, fully demonstrating the three-hundred-year development history of Qiongtai Academy and the educational history of Hainan. Qiongtai Academy was built in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. It was once a higher institution in Qiongzhou in the Qing Dynasty. It is said that it was built by later generations in memory of Qiu Jun, a grand secretary in the Ming Dynasty. Here has cultivated a group of men of letters. It is a famous scenic spot and historical site in Hainan. Now Qiongtai Academy is located within Qiongtai Normal School. Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:00 to 17:30. The specific opening hours are subject to the announcements on site at the scenic area.

---

The story about ‘Searching the Academy’: According to legend, in those days, a scholar named Zhang Sheng fell in love with a maid of the garrison commander of Qiongzhou Prefecture. The garrison commander was enraged and severely punished the maid. The maid fled into the academy for help. The garrison commander sent people to chase her to the academy. Xie Bao, the teacher in charge of the academy, spoke up for justice and blocked the way at the gate. Wisely, he sent the maid out of the city at night, enabling Zhang Sheng and the maid to finally get married.