Academies In The Miaojiang Area Of Western Hunan During The Qing Dynasty

Abstract:Miaojiang of the Western Hunan is located at the most western of Hunan.During the ancient times, it was regarded remote and backward, belonging to the nationyet uncivilized. Ignored by every central government since the Han Dynasty, the areaonly got real and practical governess from the central government after the bureaucracyreform movements movements during the Kangxi and Yongzheng reign of the QingDynasty. It was at that time that educational resources came to the formerly overlookedregions with the arrival of newly inaugurated officials, benefitting thousands uponthousands of Miaojiang people. As the principal educating institutions graduallyreplacing the corrupt and falling official education, academies, under theimplementation of the decree "Civilizing and educating comes first in an emperor’sruling" fiercely put forward by the government, became the main outputs of fledgingofficial talents. Over the course of a hundred years and more, the development andevolution of the academies in Miaojiang have not only had influences on the culture andeducation of the area, but also had to do with factors like the customs, concepts andideas, change of social structures and the stabilization and development of the region. Inthis article, the following points will be discussed in full length on the base of widelycollected relevant documents and materials and abundant evidence from field studies.The prolegomena mainly introduces the origin of this research and relevantresearching findings and specifies the duration of research involved and defines relevantterminologies such as "Miaojiang of Western Hunan".The paper firstly includes a study on the educational situation of Miaojiang ofWestern Hunan before the setting up of academies and a minute sorting of the changingacademy policies during the early Qing Dynasty and the severe social situation beforeand after the bureaucracy reform movement, upon the base of which, an analysis of thehistorical background and realistic requirements of the cultural and educational policyof “Civilizing and educating comes first in an emperor’s ruling” that was pushed in toimplementation on a central-to-local scale will be given. Those backgrounds andrequirements serves also as the precondition and foundation of the subsequent fineoperation and maintenance of the academies.Secondly, the author respectively takes the Jingxiu academy of Miaojiang PhoenixOffice, the Licheng Academy of Qianzhou Office, the Suiyang academy of Yongsui foran example. From the perspective of organization&management, teaching activities,and imperial examination results, restructuring process and so on, the author carries outa series of textual researches on the historical process of the establishment, development,vicissitudes and the final collapse of Miaojiang Academy of Western Hunan.Furthermore, the author explores many an impact the development of academyexerted on the society of Miaojiang. Taking the course of Miaojiang Academy’sdevelopment as a clue, this chapter aims to analyse the influences on the Miaojiangsociety by the cultural elements and ideas brought about alongside the progressivelyexpanding of academies in the area. These influences includes aspects from the raising of the level of public knowledge and cultural accomplishments, concept awakening,transformation of manners and customs to rising of new social classes, stabilizing andgoverning of the minority locality and etc.Lastly, through a comparison of educational and cultural situation, socialstabilization and development with the neighbouring Miaojiang of the same time period:the Songtao Office in Guizhou, the author aims to analyse the unique significance andvalue academies have on the progression development of Miaojiang of Western Hunan.