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 Dolsan Hyanggyo Daeseongjeon was built. When Dolsan-gun was abolished in 1915, Dolsan Hyanggyo faced a crisis of closure, but it has survived to this day thanks to the efforts of local Confucian scholars. The overall structure features a unique layout of 'left study, right shrine' (Jwahak Umyo), with educational spaces on the left and ritual spaces on the right. The remaining buildings include Daeseongjeon, Myeongnyundang, Pungwharu, and Naesammun. Although Dolsan Hyanggyo is small in scale, it enshrines the spirit tablet of Confucius as the foremost, along with the four great sages—Yanzi, Zisi, Zengzi, and Mencius—and the spirit tablets of 18 Korean scholars. Address: 1196-3 Dolsan-ro, Dolsan-eup, Yeosu-si, Jeonnam Gwangju Unified Special City