An Aerial viewof the DeqingAcademy (from ConfuciusTemples Around the World,P144)

Anexterior view of Dacheng Hall(from Confucius TemplesAround the World,P148)

Deqing Academy, now akey nationalcultural relics protection unit,was historicallyanofficial school of Deqing Prefecture , a place to worship Confucius and a Confucian school, so it is also known as the Confucius Temple. With perfect shapeand structureformingapattern of eastern, middle and westernparts, the architectural scaleof Deqing Academyis enormous. It covers an area of more than 8,000 square meters, witha rectangular formation of buildings along the144-meter-longcentral axis from south to north. The Dacheng Hall of Deqing Academy is a rare example of wood architecture in Song and Yuan Dynasties, which is of great value forthe study of wood architecture and artsin southern Song and Yuan Dynasties. After on-the-spot investigation, the famous Chinese architects Long Qingzhong, Professor Wu Liangyong, Guo Husheng and Luo Zhewen all inscribed for the Dacheng Hall of Deqing Academy, and gave high evaluation to the architectural skills.

In July 1962, the Deqing Academy was announcedby the Guangdong Provincial People's Committee as one of the first provincial-level cultural relics protection units. In November 1996, it was listedby the State Council of the People's Republic of China as one of the fourth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.