Founded in 1306, Guozijian University still stands remarkably tall today as it did for dynasties of the past.
The buildings are well-preserved with a dominant red color, which creates a unique look.
From calligraphy, to music, to the texts of Confucius, this was where officials were trained during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
Students who advanced their education here were considered part of China's think-tank of their day, and part of the elite group of scholarly philosophers.
During our introduction to Guozijian, a woman provided the history of the university and discussed its historical significance.
Another young woman studying music, graciously performed a beautiful song to both welcome us to Beijing, Guozijian, and wish us good luck on our journey throughout China.
There is also a room that contains ancient musical instruments, which would have been great to see, but we imagine, only for VIP guests.
A third woman demonstrated the art of calligraphy, the stylized artistic writing of Chinese characters,
Adjacent to the university is the Temple of Confucius., built in 1302, and the second largest temple constructed for Confucius. Inside, the temple of Confucius, there is a room that was once reserved for the emperor of China, who sometimes went to the university to read texts by Confucius.
Before leaving Guozijian, we were able to catch sight of a Chinese Scholar Tree, and how appropriate this was on the grounds of such an old university.
The Chinese Scholar Tree is native to East Asia, and can grow 30-65 feet tall.
The sign which introduced the tree seemed to have a Google translation to English. We will leave it up to any reader to make their own interpretation.
There was also a Revival Scholar Tree...
And of course, beautiful trees in bloom for the spring everywhere around us.
Yonghe Temple is nearby, but we were headed to the Bell and Drum Towers; Therefore, time would not allow us to visit.
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