Song Dynasty Fujian Road, College Study

The Song,especially the Southern Song Dynasty, being a crucial period of the establishment and development of the academy system, plays a major role in the history of development of Chinese academies. Fujian Lu lists on the third in the Song Dynasty for its numerous academies. Being situated at the southeastern coast, it is a rare long-time peace area with the prominence of the regional integrity and fairly developed economy, which provide good social conditions for the development of academies. As an important birthplace of neo-Confucianism of the Song Dynasty, Fujian Lu is typical in presenting the relationship between academies and neo-Confucianism. Selecting Fujian Lu to conduct research has significant reference value for our understanding of establishment and development of the academies in Song Dynasty and their close relationship with the neo-Confucianism.The thesis will investigate the Fujian Lu academies in the Song Dynasty from four perspectives. To begin with, it will manage to get a general view of the distribution and establishment of Fujian Lu academies through examining their distribution of time and places, types and the identity of their establishers; Second, it will examine their functioning specifically through analyzing the composition of masters and students, the formulation of the school regulations and funding sources ; Then, it will offer a relatively unique and significant perspective to study the consolidation and development of academy schools of Song and its humane ethics through investigating the phenomena of a person pursuing his studies with his grandfather, father, brothers, and colleagues after one master and having marital relationship for academic reasons; Finally, it will further probe into the intimate relationship of academies and neo-Confucianism as well as the reaction and appearance of academies when confronted with dramatic social changes through inquiring the influences of outstanding figures and social changes on them.On the whole, the academies in Fujian district developed rather fully in the Song Dynasty. As a prominent institution for neo-Confucianists to transmit their academic thought and doctrines, many academies there related closely to the famous neo-Confucianists, among them Zhu Xi had a special impact. Just being influenced by the famous neo-Confucianists and orthodox scholar-officials in Song represented by Zhu Xi, could academies in Fujian district display fair academic prosperity and lasting vitality when facing social crises of the prohibition of pseudo-academy and the transition of the Song and Yuan Dynasty.