Songyang Academy is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in China and one of the major four academies of the Song Dynasty, the others being Yingtian in Henan Province, Yuelu in Hunan Province and Bailudong in Jiangxi Province. Famous Confucian scholars such as SiMaguang, FanZhongyan, ZhuXi and ChengHao used to give lectures here.

　　Now in an area of more than 10,000 square meters, there exist 100 rooms and over 70 steles kept in the stele corridor. In the courtyard there are two primitive cypresses; Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty praised them as "Generals."