Meinong Respect-for-characters Pavilion

The Respect-for-characters Pavilion is also known as the Sacred Traces Pavilion, the Revere Sages Pavilion, or the Paper Character Pavilion. "Respecting written characters and revering scholarship" is a traditional concept deeply influenced by Confucian thought. Additionally, the Hakka people hold great reverence for written paper after use, thus furnace pavilions were established in villages specifically for respectfully burning paper with characters. Currently, four Respect-for-characters Pavilions are relatively well-preserved in Meinong District, distributed in areas such as Jingualliao, Shangzhuang, and Longdu. Among these, the "Minong Zhuang Respect-for-characters Pavilion," located at the intersection of Zhongshan Road and Yong'an Road and established during the Qianlong Emperor's reign, is the oldest and most complete, designated as a national Class 3 historic site. The Minong Zhuang Respect-for-characters Pavilion is a brick-built, hollow, hexagonal, three-story brick pagoda constructed from swallowtail bricks. The pavilion body is adorned with painted, petal-shaped cut-and-paste ceramic shards, and the pavilion roof features shallow carvings of Ruyi patterns, giving it an elegant and rustic design. The stone tablet beneath the Respect-for-characters Pavilion enshrines deities closely associated with education, such as Cangjie (the legendary inventor of Chinese characters), Confucius, and Wenchang Dijun (God of Culture and Literature), which also reflects Meinong's emphasis on literature and education.