Dingzhou Gongyuan is located in Caochang Hutong, Dongdajie, Dingzhou City, Hebei Province. Dingzhou Gongyuan is the best-preserved imperial examination site in the Qing Dynasty. In the third year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, the Dingzhou Gongyuan was founded by Wang Danian, a prefecture governor, to gather civil and military candidates in the jurisdiction to take the exam, and to be a place for scholars and tribute students. In the twelfth year of Emperor Daoguang's reign, Wang Zhonghuai, a prefecture governor, persuaded the people to donate money to expand the site, renovate and add to it, forming a large-scale examination hall. After that, it has been renovated and preserved to this day. In 2001, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. The Gongyuan is square in plan, and the main building is composed of two groups of buildings, the Haoshe and the Kui Pavilion. The Haoshe is facing the mountain. The Kui Pavilion is on the south side of the Haoshe, with a pointed roof in the middle and lowered on both sides, forming a peculiar appearance, which has become a prominent feature of the Dingzhou Gongyuan. The two-story attic in the Kui Pavilion is where "Kuixing" is enshrined. The lobby is next to the north side of the Haoshe, where candidates hand in their papers and examiners seal their papers. The rear building is where examiners watch the martial arts competition and also serves as accommodation. The Dingzhou Gongyuan is large in scale and majestic in appearance. It not only reflects the architectural features of the Qing Dynasty, but also has the flexibility of local architecture. It is a physical material for studying the local architectural art and the imperial examination system of the Qing Dynasty.
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Interpretation from the perspective of Eastern philosophy: Dingzhou Gongyuan Eastern philosophy, especially Confucian philosophy, emphasizes "benevolence", "propriety" and "moderation". As a place for the ancient imperial examination, Dingzhou Gongyuan is the embodiment of the Confucian culture's concept of "learning well and becoming an official". It is not only a place to select talents, but also a symbol of Confucian ethical education. Here, students pursue the dual improvement of knowledge and morality by studying the Four Books and Five Classics, which embodies the ideal of "cultivating oneself, managing the family, governing the country, and pacifying the world" in Eastern philosophy. The existence of the Gongyuan reflects the Eastern society's emphasis on education and the pursuit of harmony between individuals and society through education. Interpretation from the perspective of Western philosophy: Dingzhou Gongyuan From the perspective of Western philosophy, Dingzhou Gongyuan can be interpreted as a symbol of knowledge, power and social structure. In Western philosophy, especially in the theories of Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, education is seen as the key to personal freedom and social progress. As part of the ancient Chinese education system, the Gongyuan reflects how power maintains social order and hierarchy through the education system. At the same time, the examination system of the Gongyuan, while designed to select talented people, can also be seen as restrictive because it sets strict conditions for entering the upper class of society, which contrasts with the ideas of equality and equal opportunity in Western philosophy. From a Western philosophical perspective, the Gongyuan also embodies the relationship between knowledge and power. In the West, knowledge is seen as a liberating force, while the Gongyuan shows how knowledge can be used as a tool to gain and maintain power. This interpretation emphasizes the role of the education system in shaping social structure and the distribution of power, and how it reflects and reinforces specific social values and hierarchies.