Confucian Academies in Song China

The White Dear Grotto Academy and the Yuelu Academy were among the two most influential Song era academies; thus, these two examples are used to illustrate the history and educational culture of Confucian academies. Life and education at the academies are portrayed not only through their study rules and famous lectures but also through descriptions of the architecture, layout, shrines, and inscriptions at the academies. Daoxue leaders, such as Lu Zuqian, Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi, cooperated in strengthening these academies and establishing guidelines for the moral and intellectual training conducted therein. While the government's schools were focused on training for the civil service examinations, these Daoxue leaders put priority on ethical training and sought to cultivate a community or fellowship among the students. Nonetheless, government support was crucial to the establishment and development of these Confucian academies. Moreover, governments over the centuries increased supervision of such academies. The article also suggests how Zhu Xi's influence gradually overshadowed his friends-even at the Yuelu Academy where he had earlier originally been Zhang Shi's guest.