The White Deer Grotto Academy (白鹿洞书院 Báilùdòng Shūyuàn, sometimes translated as White Deer Cave Academy or White Deer Hollow Academy) was located at the foot of Wulou Peak in Lushan, now in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province. It was one of the Four Great Academies of China. Mount Lushan is a mountain in the Peoples Republic of China (also known as Mount Lu), situated south of the city of Jiujiang in the Jiangxi Province, with Boyang Lake at its bank. ... Categories: China geography stubs | Cities in China ... Jiangxi (Chinese: 江西; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chiang-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Kiangsi) is a southern province of the Peoples Republic of China, spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south. ... The ShÅ«yuàn (书院), usually known in English as Academies or Academies of Classical Learning, were a type of school in ancient China. ...

The academy had its beginnings as a place for the pursuit of learning by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bo (李渤 Lǐ Bó, d. 831, not to be confused with the more famous Tang poet Li Po or Li Bai) when he was living in retirement. As Li Bo kept a white deer, he was known as the White Deer Teacher and the school premises themselves as the White Deer Grotto. Between the years 937—942, when the area was under the control of the Southern Tang, a school was officially established here under the name "Lushan Guoxue" (庐山国学, meaning "Mount Lu National School"). Tang could refer to: Tang Dynasty of China Tang (Shang dynasty ruler) Transliteration of Chinese family names such as 唐,湯,鄧,é‚“,滕 Tang Clan of Hong Kong, the first inhabitants to leave China and settle in Hong Kong. ... Li Po (701-762) was a Chinese poet, considered the greatest romantic poet of the Tang dynasty. ... Southern Tang (also refered to as Nantang) was one of the Ten Kingdoms in south-central China created following the Tang Dynasty from 937-976. ...

In the early years of the Northern Song dynasty, which began in 960, the Lushan Guoxue was transformed into an academy, known as the White Deer Grotto Academy. The academy was the recipient of imperial favour from the Emperor Taizong (r. 976-997), who bestowed on it books and awarded official rank to the academy's head. However, it later fell into disrepair. Alternative meaning: Song Dynasty (420-479) The Song dynasty (Chinese: 宋朝) was a ruling dynasty in China from 960-1279. ... Emperor Taizong (November 20, 939 - May 8, 997), born Zhao Kuangyi, was the second emperor of the Song Dynasty of China from 976 to 997. ...

In 1179-80, during the Southern Song dynasty, the academy was rebuilt and expanded by Zhu Xi, later to become the most preeminent of the neo-Confucianists. Zhu Xi, who was serving as prefect of Nankang Prefecture (now Nankang City), rebuilt the academy based on the layout of the Temple of Confucius at Qufu. The new academy opened its doors to students and scholars in 1180. It was involved in instruction, the collection and preservation of books, religious sacrifices, the development of curricula, and lectures by famous scholars, including such notable names as Lu Jiuyuan, Lü Zuqian, and later Wang Yangming. The academy continued to flourish for eight centuries. The rules of the Academy as set down by Zhu Xi had a profound and lasting influence on the subsequent development of Confucianism. Alternative meaning: Song Dynasty (420-479) The Song dynasty (Chinese: 宋朝) was a ruling dynasty in China from 960-1279. ... Zhu Xi or Chu Hsi (1130–1200) was a Song Dynasty (960-1279) Confucian scholar who became one of the most significant Neo-Confucians in China. ... Neo-Confucianism (理學 Pinyin: Lǐxué) is a term for a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang dynasty. ... Apricot Platform in the Confucian Temple at Qufu. ... Location within China Qufu (Chinese: 曲阜; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chü1-fu4) is a city in Shandong Province, China. ... Lu Jiuyuan (陸九淵), or Lu Xiangshan (1139-1192) was a Chinese scholar who used Confucian terminology in a very Buddhist spirit. ... Wang Yangming (王陽明, Japanese ÅŒ Yōmei, 1472–1529) was a Ming Chinese idealist Neo-Confucian scholar–official. ... Confucianist temple Thian Hock Keng in Singapore Confucianism (Chinese: å„’å­¦, Pinyin: Rúxué‚ [ ] , literally The School of the Scholars; or, less accurately, 孔教 Kŏng jiào, The Religion of Confucius) is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese sage Confucius. ...

External links

Rules of the White Deer Hollow Academy and comments by Korean Confucianist T'oegye