Taiwan Religious Culture Map

Huangxi Academy is designed as a traditional Chinese courtyard house (sìhéyuàn) of seven kaijian and two jin (ancient Chinese architectural units denoting width and depth in architecture), with wings lining either side and an open worship pavilion in the center. The layout of the academy combines those of traditional residential homes and Confucius temples. The main gate faces northward, with the worship pavilion and the main hall behind. Two wings run along the sides of the temple grounds from front to back, creating a central courtyard. One of the more unusual features of the academy is the two side doors in the main hall, leading to the wings on each side. This design is rare for the otherwise typical Minnan-style structure.

The main gate of Huangxi Academy leads into the Sanchuan (Front) Hall. The gate is three kaijian-wide (three openings divided by pillars). The floor is raised about fifty centimeters above ground and the foundation wall is inlaid with green glazed tiles. The swallowtail roof rises in graceful layers above the front hall. There are five roof sections. The central three are not attached to the other roof sections, resulting in sixswallowtail points in the central sections. The seven kaijian across the front façade are equally spaced, with the two roof sections on the right- and left-most sides built in the traditional Chinese hip-and-gable style. The majestic, lavishly designed roof is the only one of its type found in Taiwanese architecture. The ornamental raised ridge of the central roof extends far above the roofline and is covered with its own small tiled roof with openwork slots to let the wind through. Such extreme exaggeration in roof design is rarely found elsewhere in Taiwan. The oblique gables on the sides angle outward making the façade appear even larger. The central entryway is guarded by a pair of delicately carved bluestone lions, which appear vivid and lifelike.

The Worship Pavilion in front of the main hall is an open-air pavilion with eight pillars and an Asian-style hip-and-gable roof. With its floor raised sixty centimeters above ground level, the terrace closely resembles the one in front of a typical Confucius temple’s Dacheng Hall. The four outer pillars are made of granite, whereas the four inner pillars are made of wood in order to tie in with the wooden framework. The pavilion is surrounded by railings. One of the finest elements of the worship hall is its exquisite roof ridge decoration and vivid cut-and-paste porcelain work. The courtyard in front of the worship hall is paved with intricate brickwork. The boundary of the courtyard is lined with square tiles, and a rectangular prayer bench is positioned at its center. This design is fairly unusual among traditional Taiwanese architecture, and is regarded by many experts and scholars as the finest example of Qing dynasty architecture in Taiwan.

The most exquisite brick carving work can be found on the wings on either side of Huangxi Academy’s main hall, which also form the outer walls of the courtyard. There are brick relief work illustrations on the molding at the base of the walls, decorative friezes, and even decorative patterns at the joins between bricks. The wall friezes, door and window frames, window sills, curved wall bases, and vase-shaped corridor doors are all ornamented with complex tracery. The brick relief work and engraving were crafted by two different artisans during a major craftmaster competition (duìchǎngzuò). The work of different craftsmen can be clearly discerned, with each exhibiting its own unique stylistic elements.

At the end of a wooden colonnade near the Sanchuan Hall are two moon gates (circular gateways) in the shape of Chinese crabapple flowers. The bricks were carefully overlaid into arcs to create the shape of the flowers. This design is extremely delicate and highly unusual.