Page 128 - An Overview of Penghu

Historical sites

｜Wenshi Academy｜

Ripples are extending across the clear water of Wenao Bay, with flocks of birds flying over or resting on it.
Beside the water stands Wenshi Academy, a building that emanates grandeur and solemnity. A scholar named Xu
Ying-yuan asked Penghu Governor Hu Jian-wei to build an academy; Hu ordered the construction of Wenshi
Academy in 1766 with donations from people. The primary purpose of the Academy is to cultivate local talents, in
addition to boosting morale.

Xu was appointed President of the Academy upon its completion and taught students Confucianism. Tests
were held once or twice a month in the Academy, which offered two kinds of courses: one taught by local officials,
and the other offered by the President of the Academy. Excellent students were awarded prizes or certificates of
recognition. Entrance exams were held annually to admit ambitious students all across the Island. Students lived in
the dormitory inside the Academy, making it easier for them to attend classes taught by the President.

Every year, a student was chosen to participate in the entry-level exam of the Chinese Imperial Examination
held in Tainan. The Academy emphasized literature studies and had many books for references, which were,
unfortunately, all engulfed in a fire during the Sino-French War.

Wenshi Academy is also referred to as the Confucius Temple because Confucius was later enshrined in the
Academy besides Wengchang Dijun (the God of Culture and Literature). Wengchang Dijun was the only god
worshiped in the Academy before Japan invaded Penghu. During the invasion, the Japanese army used the Academy
as a field hospital. A soldier once asked the President if they worshipped Confucius here in the Academy; albeit not,
the President nodded yes because he did not understand Japanese. To correct the mistake out of his fear of being
punished by gods for lying, the President immediately set up Confucius's spirit tablet on the right side of the
Wengchang Dijun statue. The Wengchang Dijun statue is now positioned in the middle, with Confucius on his left
and other contributing members, including Hu Jian-wei, on his right.

The Academy was named after an eponymous kind of gemstone exclusive to Penghu, which are characterized
by vivid colors and variance. The hope is to cultivate students with qualities similar to that of the gems. A couplet at
the entrance reads “As articles expound ethics, the Stoney Room contains brightness inside.” Wenshi Academy was
indeed the center of culture and education of the Prefecture, as its name suggested.

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