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Shuyuanmen - the receding figure
of the ancient capital
Xi'an, formerly
Chang'an, was once the world's largest metropolis and a glamorous ancient
Chinese capital of several major dynasties. But with the lapse of time,
many things have changed. It's no longer the capital of the country, and
the eight rivers that once surrounded the city are nothing more than a few
drying banks now. All the glories seemed to have gone, leaving nothing more
than shabby debris and splendid history books.
 Nevertheless,
a city of this caliber has much more to offer than just historical annals.
Even though it seems almost impossible for the city to resume its old-day
glories and despite the old-city charm appearing to fade amid the rapid
rejuvenation of the Middle Kingdom, Xi'an still has at least one receding
trace of its ancient civilization - Shuyuanmen, a place where people can
still get a load of the charms of the ancient capital.
History
Shuyuanmen, literally meaning the gate for the Academy of Ancient Learning,
is actually the name of a street. The place got its name because it was
the site of the Guanzhong Shuyuan (Academy of Ancient Learning on Guanzhong
Plain), which was the highest institution of tertiary education of
Shaanxi Province during the Ming (1368-164 4)
and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The academy was one of the four famous academies
of ancient learning across the country, as well as the top one among the
four academies of ancient learning in Northwest China.
There is a story about the establishment of the academy. Feng Congwu,
a minister of public works during the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), submitted a written statement to the emperor,
criticizing the monarch for "indulging in dissipation and neglecting state
affairs." The emperor was unhappy and removed Feng from his post.
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