Dolsan Hyanggyo

Dolsan Hyanggyo is a national educational institution located in Dolsan-eup, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do. Hyanggyo were national educational institutions of the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, established to enshrine the spirit tablets of great Confucian scholars, conduct ancestral rites, and provide education and moral guidance to local residents. In the past, they received support from the state in the form of land, books, and servants to teach students, but in modern times, the educational function has disappeared, leaving only the ritual function to maintain its legacy. During the Joseon dynasty, Dolsan belonged to the administrative district of Suncheon-bu. The following year, after an administrative reorganization established Dolsan-gun, the Dae Seong Jeon (main hall) of Dolsan Hyanggyo was built. When Dolsan-gun was abolished in 1915, Dolsan Hyanggyo faced the risk of being dismantled, but it has survived to this day thanks to the efforts of local Confucian scholars. The overall layout features a unique arrangement of 'left study, right shrine' (Jwahak Umyo), with educational spaces on the left and ritual spaces on the right. The remaining structures include Dae Seong Jeon, Myeongnyundang, Punghwaru, and Nae Sammun. Although Dolsan Hyanggyo is small in scale, it enshrines the spirit tablet of Confucius as the foremost, along with the tablets of the four great sages—Yanzi, Zisi, Zengzi, and Mencius—and 18 Korean scholars.