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BEIJING, Nov. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

When did the White Deer Cave form and appear beside the Five Old Men Peak? At

the southern foot of the Five Old Men Peak of Lushan, a run-down building,

which has survived the vicissitudes of life, stands there, displaying the

beauty of the bygone era. This building is the White Deer Cave Academy, which

ranks first among the four ancient Chinese academies. For thousands of years,

countless masters have taught here, and countless distinguished students

graduated here and walked on into different paths. After centuries, the names

on the stone tablets are still dazzling. In 1216 A.D., an 18-year-old man came

to the White Deer Cave Academy. He was Jiang Wanli from Duchang, Jiangxi

Province. Out of the admiration of Zhu Xi, a great scholar, he came here to

study. At that time, the White Deer Cave Academy was already full of great

scholars, with thousands of students. They studied Confucian classics and

passed down the Confucian spirit of "humanity, justice, courtesy, and wisdom,"

making White Deer Cave rise above as the top school in China.

In 1241 A.D., 44-year-old Jiang Wanli founded Bailuzhou College, where he

adopted the system of White Deer Cave Academy and taught all students in

person. Then in 1243, he founded Zonglian Jingshe Academy and Daoyuan Academy.

In his later years, he set up the Zhishan Academy in his residence in Raozhou

Prefecture. Within 40 years, he founded 4 academies. In his educational career,

he consistently upheld his educational philosophies of "integrity and

righteousness."

The spirit of Jiangxi academies remains profound and extensive, and the

cultural context of Jiangxi lives on. During the Northern and Southern Song

Dynasties, there were altogether 515 academies in China, while there were 170

in Jiangxi alone, accounting for one third in China. In the Song Dynasty, there

were 5,534 successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations in

Jiangxi, ranking first in China. In the Ming Dynasty, among the 1,239 academies

in China, there were 238 in Jiangxi. Seasons changed fast, and the sound of

reading aloud at that time no longer existed, but the patriotism, national

integrity, and the academic spirit of pursuing knowledge flourish and continue

to grow far and wide.

Source: CCTV+