Visitors can swipe their identity cards at the entrance to enter the reopened Donglin Academy. [Photo/wxrb.com]

Donglin Academy, the first national cultural heritage conservation site in Wuxi, reopened to the public on May 16 after a 16-month closure for maintenance construction.

Offering free admission since last year, visitors can swipe their identity cards at the entrance to enter. A guide is available via the site’s official WeChat account so visitors can learn more about the attraction.

Famous for the antithetical couplet – "The sound of winds, raindrops and readings enter my ears, the affairs of families, nations and the world attract my attention" - Donglin Academy has a history of over 900 years and attracts many visitors from home and abroad every year.

The Donglin Academy enjoys a good reputation among ancient academies. It was a former Chinese educational institution which was originally built in 1111 during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127).

There are a variety of architectural styles, featuring layouts from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). The couplets written by Gu Xiancheng showed the ambition of the author and have been widely spread. The couplets mentioned above are hung on the wall of the Yiyong Hall.

Tips:

Location: Inside Sujia Lane, No 876 East Jiefang Road, Liangxi district, Wuxi

Tel: 18151513205 (Reservation required for group visits three days in advance.)

Ticket: Free

Opening times: 9 am to 5:00 pm every day