Qiongtai Academy (琼台书院) is one of Hainan's oldest educational institutions, founded during the Ming dynasty and restored in the Qing. It sits immediately adjacent to the Five Officials Temple, and the two are usually visited together as a single quiet complex in the south of the old city.
The restored buildings are arranged around a central courtyard shaded by large old trees — banyan and camphor among them. Stone tablets carved with classical texts line some of the walls. The atmosphere is more contemplative than spectacular, but for anyone interested in the intellectual history of southern China it is a genuinely moving place. Admission is included with the Five Officials Temple ticket.