Yuelu Academy

Nestled between the Xiangjiang River and the Yuelu Mountain, Yuelu Academy stands as one of the esteemed "Four Great Academies” of ancient China. Established in the ninth year of the Kaibao era during the Northern Song Dynasty (976 CE), it has been graced with royal calligraphy plaques. Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty inscribed one with the academy's name, and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty best owed another reading "The Doctrines Taught here in the South Are GenuineConfucian Doctrines" A remarkable event occurred in 1167 CE, the thirdyear of the Qiandao era of the Song Dynasty. The renowned scholars ZhuXi and Zhang Shi held academic discussions at the academy. Legend has itthat the lectures were so popular that the number of visitors far exceeded the academy's seating capacity. The horses even drained the water fromthe Yinma Pond (the Horse-Watering Pond) to accommodate the largecrowd. This event has since been immortalized as the“Collaborative Lectures of Zhu and Zhang." In the late Qing Dynasty, the academy was restructured into the Hunan Institute of Higher Learning, which was laterrenamed Hunan University in 1926. With its millennia-old legacy of intellectual achievement and scholarly pursuits, Yuelu Academy is hailedas the “Ancient Millenarian Academy" Today, it is recognized as one ofthe major cultural heritage sites under national protection.

Source: Changsha Library