According to the elders here, “Hsin Kang is a good place for studying.” They are very proud of the fact that their children love to study and take pleasure in reading. This good tradition dates back to 200 years ago.

At that time, some emigrants from Ben Nan Kang brought Ben Kang's cultural relics to Ma Yuan Liao. Soon, many people converged and lived in this place. It became a commercial center and merchants from neighboring villages came here to buy and sell.

A picture of the Deng Yun Academy painted in the Qing Dynasty. It shows that academies at that time were a well-organized and institutionalized system of education.

People here worked hard in their workplaces and lived in harmony. The Orchid Club was formed for the purpose of “gathering fellow literary people, reciting poems together, helping younger generations, and promoting the liberal arts.” It was the first association in the private sector in Hsin Kang.

In 1822, year 2 of the Dao Guang period, in order to have a place for gathering together and worshiping the Lord God Wen Chang (God of Literature and Examinations), members of the Orchid Club contributed money to the building of the Wen Chang Shrine, later renamed the Deng Yun Chamber in honor of General Wang De-Lu's meteoric rise to higher government office.

In 1835, year 15 of the Dao Guang period, Wang De-Lu and Ben Kang's Magistrate Pang Zhou as well as local gentry raised money and built the Deng Yun Academy , where the lessons focused on the Four Books and the Five Classics and inculcation of ethical principles was particularly emphasized.

Three parts comprised the Academy. There were three doors in the front. In the middle part was the Wen Chang Shrine. There were three rooms at the back: the middle one was the lecture room, and the ones on the left and the right were dormitories for the principal and staff. The two wings were eating houses for students.

The Academy had farms as property, and earnings from their produce were used for worshiping ceremonies. People were appointed to manage the property. When there was surplus money left after the ceremony of offering sacrifices was over, it would be rewarded to students who got great grades in examinations.

The Deng Yun Academy , where singing and reciting went on forever, became the center of education in the Hsin Kang area. Many experts and scholars graduated from it. In years 15 to 22 of the Dao Guang period, Hsin Kang boasted five tribute scholars, five imperial academy scholars, one great officer in politics, three government scholars with grants, two recommended scholars, and eight government scholars.

The Deng Yun Academy not only cultivated many experts but also made Hsin Kang the most cultured place in Chia Yi County.