Mountain Chiefs (Literary and Historical Essays) Author: Gan Jianhua (originally published in "The Upstream of Blue Ink", published by Hunan People's Publishing House in 2010)
Shigu Academy is located in Shigu, Hengyang City. Shigu Mountain in Gu District is 69 meters above sea level. According to legend, there is a stone drum on the mountain that is six feet high and can make drum sounds, hence its name. Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty recorded in "Shui Jing Zhu": "The mountain is green and round, just like a drum. The mountain is pure stone and has no soil, so it is named after its shape." Another theory is that it is surrounded by water on three sides, and the water waves hit it. Stone, its sound is like a drum. Jin Shiqu's poem "Guan Shigu" said: "The sound of the ringing stone contains a latent sound, and the thunder shakes the nine heavens." Judging from the "Shui Jing Zhu", before the Qin Dynasty, the name of the stone drum was already recorded in the annals of history.
Shigu Academy, built on Shigu Mountain, has a long history. Many historical materials show that Shigu Academy, founded in the early Tang Dynasty (806-810), was the earliest privately-run academy in ancient China. It was also the cultural and academic center of southern China during the Qing Dynasty and before. Among the four major academies in the Northern Song Dynasty, Shigu Academy was actually second to none. From the perspective of its historical origin, it is more than 120 years earlier than Bailudong Academy, which was founded in the Shengyuan period of the Southern Tang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties (937-942); more than 160 years earlier than Yuelu Academy, which was founded in the ninth year of Kaibao, Taizu of the Song Dynasty (976); The Suiyang Academy (also known as Yingtianfu Academy) in the second year of Zhenzong Dazhong Xiangfu (1009) was 199 years earlier.
“The famous Shigu Mountain began in the Tang Dynasty, and the reading hall was opened here.” It lasted for more than a thousand years until the Shigu Higher School was established. During this period, it has always enjoyed a high status in the history of Chinese education and the development of academies with its rich collection of books, flourishing academic style, complete equipment, sufficient funds, strict management, and great achievements. It is known as the "Hengxiangzhusi" ", "Daonan Zhengmai" reputation.
In the third year of Emperor Taizong's reign in the Song Dynasty (997), Li Shizhen, a member of Li Kuan's ethnic group, "asked the county governor for the story of aiding Kuan, and was willing to use his private money" to conduct the first construction of Shigu Academy on the site where Li Kuan ran the school. reconstruction. According to historical records, the emperor of the Song Dynasty twice granted quota to Shigu Academy. One was in the second year of Emperor Taizong's Taiping and Xingguo's reign (977), which is recorded in Ma Duanlin's "Tongkao of Documents" and Zhu Xi's "Records of Shigu Academy"; the other was in the second year of Renzong Jingyou's reign (1035), when Renzong allowed Jixian Hall to be the director of the school. At Liu Hang's request, the imperial edict granted "Shigu Academy" a plaque and 5 hectares of academic land, which greatly increased the reputation of Shigu Academy. Therefore, together with the three academies of Suiyang, Bailudong and Yuelu, Shigu Academy was called "the four major academies in the world." Li Kuan, the first mountain chief of the academy, and Li Shizhen, the later mountain chief, worshiped the Seven Sages of Shigu together with Han Yu, Zhou Dunyi, Zhu Xi, Zhang Shi and Huang Qian, and were called the Seven Sages of Shigu.
Liang Zhangju's "Tui'an Essays" Volume 6: "The person who teaches in charge of the academy is called the chief of the mountain, and the chief of the mountain is also called the dean and the master of the mountain." During the Five Dynasties, Jiang Weidong lived in seclusion in Hengyue to give lectures, and was a disciple. He called Jiang the chief of the mountain (see "Recent Events in Jingxiang"). In the Song Dynasty, it became a tradition and the number of academies increased. The academies of the Yuan Dynasty also had a mountain chief, who not only gave lectures, but also took charge of the affairs of the academy. During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, it was changed to the dean. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was still famous as the chief of the mountain. In the Ming Dynasty, the selection of candidates was mostly based on quality and reputation, with no geographical restrictions. Although the Qing Dynasty emphasized character and knowledge, it mostly advocated choosing local people. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, Shigu Academy has employed dozens of mountain chiefs in successive dynasties. However, due to repeated wars and continuous wars, they could not be found.
The most noteworthy book of the Southern Song Dynasty is the "Records of Shigu Academy" written by the great scholar Zhu Xi. In this programmatic historical document, Zhu Xi elaborated on the guiding ideology, teaching content, educational focus, and teaching methods of the academy. In particular, he advocated the study of ethics and self-cultivation as the purpose of running academies in order to achieve the educational purpose of "clarifying morality, righteousness, and rectifying people's hearts." This was not only imitated by all academies across the country at that time, but also influenced the education of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. profound impact. The names of the mountain chiefs include Dai Xi, Cheng Xun and Li Fang. In the fifth year of Chunxi reign of Emperor Xiaozong (1178), Dai Xi ranked first in the provincial examination. He became the Minister of the Ministry of Power and Industry, and became a bachelor of Longtuge. In the twelfth year of Chunxi (1185), Shigu Academy was restored and rebuilt. Dai Xi was appointed as the mountain chief, and he taught "The Analects of Confucius" to students. There were three volumes of "Shigu Analects Questions and Answers". Cheng Xun was a disciple of Zhu Xi, a latent psychologist, and an important scholar of the Cheng-Zhu School. In the eleventh year of Chunxi reign of Emperor Xiaozong (1184), he became the chief administrator of Hengyang.
In the fourteenth year, he temporarily acted as the mountain chief of Shigu Academy, with the promotion of Zhu Zi and Zhang Zi's learning as his top priority. At that time, "scholars and friends gathered together, and those who came to the door were like leaving the door of Hui'an" ("Hengzhou Prefecture Chronicles" by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty). During his stay in Heng, he left several poems about Shigu and compiled the first "Shigu Academy Chronicles" (later lost). In the first year of Kaiqing of the Southern Song Dynasty (1259), Shigu Academy was destroyed by war. In the first year of Jingding (1260), Yu Yan ordered the mountain chief Li Fang to "restore the old view" and take articles about Mingde and Xinmin to promote its meaning for all living beings. After the Song Dynasty moved south, the more famous academies were Shigu, Bailu Cave, Yuelu, Xiangshan, etc. Songyang was destroyed due to war in the late Song Dynasty. It was not until the Jiajing Year of the mid-Ming Dynasty that Hou Tai, the magistrate of Dengfeng County, rebuilt the academies and restored them.
The Yuan Dynasty was one of the darkest dynasties in Chinese history. The rulers were basically uneducated and hated Han culture. The academies were basically under government supervision. The exception is that Shigu Academy is in a different situation than other academies across the country. It is one of the few academies that is valued by the rulers and has been given a school field. Successive mountain chiefs of Shigu Academy include Deng Daren, Wang Fu, Kang Zhuang, Cheng Jingzhi, Li Yousun, Jin Wenhai, Zhu Renzhong, Zhang Gui, etc. However, just like the Yuan Dynasty itself, these celebrities only played a guest role as mountain chiefs. How much they can accomplish, therefore, it is difficult to find information about them in official and unofficial history
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, local officials in Hengyang had a special attachment to Shigu Academy. an important reason for its prosperity and development. After the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, starting from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, after more than 70 years of efforts by Hengzhou magistrate Shi Zhong, Weng Shizi, He Xun and Huguang Xian deputy Shen Qing, the academy was finally well regulated, and Shigu Academy, which had been dormant for many years, was restored. Thrive again. In the fourth year of Zhengde (1509), Ye Zhao was the chief of the mountain. He talked about the knowledge of the body and mind of sages and the importance of morality, dissecting doubts and elucidating subtleties. Wang Dashao studied at Shigu Academy when he was a teenager. After becoming an official, he "returned to his alma mater" and gave lectures at Shigu Academy. He also participated in the compilation and revision of the first "Shigu Academy Chronicles", leaving extremely precious historical materials about the academy for future generations. Other well-known mountain chiefs include Zhou Zhao, Li Mingan, etc. In the Qing Dynasty, mountain chiefs Chen Shiya, Wu Jiong, Song Jiling, Kuang Minben, Lin Xueyi, Li Zhennan, Luo Tingyan, Wang Guangguo, Yu Tingcan, Li Jisheng, Liu Gaoge, Tan Pengxiao, Zhang Xueyin, Chang Daxiang, Liu Zuhuan, Jiang Qiling, Zou Yanjie, Feng Jun, Deng Chuanmi, Li Yanghua, Zuo Bin, Jiang Yu, Zhu Songyun, Mo Chongkun, Zeng Xi, etc. are basically all Jinshi and Juren. They are very talented, have learned from ancient and modern times, and have been in officialdom for many years. They are outstanding celebrities in Hunan and subjective. The purpose is to benefit Sangzi and objectively ensure the quality of education. Shigu Academy is "just like Zou Lu Zhu Si's Su."
What is more impressive than Shan Chang is Shan Dou, which is the collective name of Mount Tai and Beidou. Zou Shouyi was a student of the great Confucian Wang Shouren of the Ming Dynasty. He ranked first in the Jinshi in the sixth year of Zhengde (1511), and was awarded the title of Editor of the Hanlin Academy. Jiajingzhong gave lectures on Shigu, and wrote 25 chapters of "Teaching Words" (also known as "Twenty-five Chapters of Yu Shigu's Lives"). He wrote about knowledge, truth-seeking, timely habits, diligent practice, caution in independence, guarding against fear, investigating things, and achieving knowledge. The incisive explanation has become a wise saying for all students to learn from. Tourists from all over the world come here one after another, and they are respected by all living beings as the "Mountain Dou" of the academy. Kuang Minben and Lin Xueyi were both from Hengshan County. They were both Jinshi scholars. They were both very accomplished mountain directors in the history of Shigu Academy. In the 19th year of Qianlong's reign (1754), Kuang Min was hired as the mountain director of Yuelu Academy. He served for about three years and later became the mountain director of Shigu Academy. He was highly praised by his contemporaries for his superb knowledge and outstanding achievements. Scholars competed to join his sect. Fortunately. Lin Xueyi was educated by a scholar when he was young, and he was known as a "national scholar". In the 26th year of Qianlong's reign (1761), he was appointed as the headmaster of Shigu Academy, and he was in charge of the academy for 15 consecutive years. Zeng Xi, the last mountain chief (1894-1902), was a native of Shishi, Hengyang. He was a Jinshi under Guangxu and served as the academic envoy for many years. Soon he returned to Hunan and gave lectures at Shigu Academy. He later served as the president of the Hunan Education Society and the supervisor of the South Road Excellent Normal School.
Shigu Academy is known as a place where talents gather and has a strong teaching atmosphere.
Famous teachers and scholars in the past dynasties, such as Zhu Xi, Zhang Shi, Zheng Xiang, and Huang Qian in the Song Dynasty; Shao Yuli, Xi Han Boyan, Li Chuxun, and Chen Songnian in the Yuan Dynasty; Zhan Ruoshui, Jiang Xin, Luo Hongxian, Zhao Zhenji, Mao Kun, and Li Zhan in the Ming Dynasty; Wei, Luo Jinxi, Gan Gongliang, Cai Runan, Liu Yaojie, Wang Wanshan, Wang Ao, Pan Zongluo, Wu Shilai, Yu Tingcan, Liu Liangbi, Jiang Xun, etc. in the Qing Dynasty all came here to preach on stage one after another, making Shigu a distant place. Close to the capital, Hengyong and Chengui Taoist scholars aspired to and gathered in this institution. It became an eye-catching base for the dissemination of Confucianism in the Huxiang region, and further developed into a model of "lecture-style" academies in ancient China. It played a significant role in the evolution and development of Huxiang culture. development has made outstanding contributions.
As one of the oldest academies in China, Shigu Academy has produced countless talents during its more than a thousand years of operation. Tao Yi, the magistrate of Hengyang County during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, wrote a poem "Shigu Academy", which describes the scene of "gathering of talents". The poem says: "The Confucianism style in the ancient times was not as happy as before, but the lectures in the academy were all full of talents. The two streams surrounded the palace walls in solemnity, The trees are gloomy and the morale is high. The new bean has been worshiped, and the poems have been rejuvenated. From now on, I no longer worry about walking, and the green bamboo stream has opened." "Shigu Chronicles of the State of the Kingdom", recorded in the Song Dynasty. In the palace examination in the eighth year of Qiandao (1172), three people from Shigu Academy were promoted to Jinshi: Wang Juren, Deng Youlong, and Deng Youling. In the Renzi Township Examination in the 30th year of Jiajing's reign in the Ming Dynasty (1552), six students from Shigu Academy, including Li Mengzhang, Wang Dashao, Tan Rugeng, Xu Yingnan, Peng Liangchen and Tao Bin, passed the examination and were known as the "Six Phoenixes of Zhuling" in history. In the late Ming Dynasty, Wang Chuanshan, Li Guoxiang, Xia Rubi, Guan Siqiu, Zou Tonglu and other high-minded, knowledgeable and talented people also came from Shigu Academy. In the Gengchen Examination in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1880), four people from Shigu Academy, Zhu Songyun, Tan Xinzhen, Yang Yidou, and Chen Ding, were selected as Jinshi. One of them was selected as the best candidate in the imperial examination, and the other was selected as a commoner in the imperial examination. Such pillars of talent include Zhu Bingru, Wu Dingxiang, Zeng Chaojie, Zhu Yong, Liao Ruheng, Chen Zongqi, etc. in the Ming Dynasty, Peng Yulin, a famous minister of the Zhongxing Dynasty in the Qing Dynasty, and Peng Shu, the first biography of Hengyang. They are all From Shigu Academy to China's big stage, "each has been leading the way for hundreds of years."