What are the four major academies?
As of February 2021, there is no dispute that Tianfu Academy, Yuelu Academy, and Bailudong Academy are among the four major academies. The controversial fourth academies are Songyang Academy and Shigu Academy.
The three major academies without controversy:
1. Yingtian Academy
Yingtianfu Academy is also known as Suiyang Academy, Nanjing Academy, Nandu Academy, Nanjing Imperial College is located on the south lakeside of Shangqiu Ancient City, Suiyang District, Shangqiu City, Henan Province today.
2. Yuelu Academy
Yuelu Academy is located at the foot of Yuelu Mountain in Changsha City, Hunan Province today, hence its name. During the Five Dynasties period, Zhixuan and other two monks gave lectures here and the prototype of the academy was initially formed. Later, Zhu Dong, the governor of Tanzhou, officially founded Yuelu Academy.
3. Bailudong Academy
Bailudong Academy is located at the southern foot of Wulaofeng in Mount Lushan, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province today. Founded in the Shengyuan period of the Southern Tang Dynasty, it is the only national official school in Chinese history established by the central government outside the capital. Bailudong Academy was once known as "the first of the four major academies in China".
Controversial academies:
1. Shigu Academy
It is located on Shigu Mountain in Shigu District, Hengyang City, Hunan Province today. During the Song Dynasty, cultural undertakings were extremely prosperous, and private lectures became a temporary fashion. Su Shi, Zhou Dunyi, Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi all gave lectures here.
2. Songyang Academy
The address is in Dengfeng District, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province today. Because it is located to the south of Songshan Mountain, according to the ancient Feng Shui saying that the mountains to the south and the water to the north are yang, Therefore it is called Songyang Academy.
Extended information:
Academy history
In 907 AD, the Tang Dynasty fell, and Chinese history entered the period of division of the "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms". Official schools were destroyed and dismantled. Education was lost, and a number of private academies began to appear. "The sound of wind and rain and the sound of reading can be heard, and we are concerned about family affairs, state affairs, and everything in the world." The ancient Chinese emphasized the importance of poetry and etiquette to pass down the family line. No matter which dynasty or generation, reading was regarded as a first-class event, so for thousands of years In the course of history, the "four major academies" carrying the spark of civilization and thought also emerged.
In early 1998, it is said that when the State Post Bureau was preparing to issue stamps of the "Four Major Colleges", it visited Shigu Academy for on-site inspection. However, because it only saw rocks and no academy, it later chose Songyang Academy in Dengfeng, Zhengzhou, Henan. .
On April 29, 1998, the State Post Bureau held the "Four Colleges" stamp launch ceremony in Shangqiu. The colleges selected for the stamps were Yingtian Academy, Yuelu Academy, Bailudong Academy, and Songyang Academy." .
Baidu Encyclopedia-China’s Four Major Academies