Ancient Chinese Academy, Confucianism, and Society I: The Rise and Growth

As the first volume of a two-volume set that studies the ancient Chinese academy from a socio-cultural perspective, this title explores the history of the academy and its relationship with the development of Confucianism in the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties.

Inaugurated in the Tang dynasty and eventually abolished in the late Qing dynasty, the academy, as a unique cultural and educational organization in Chinese history, exerted extensive and profound influences on ancient Chinese culture, politics, and social life. The book first revisits the inception and development of the academy by anaylzing the socio-cultural context and different driving forces including social mentality, print culture, education systems, and so on. It then examines the reciprocity and thriving relationships between the academy and Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Yuan dynasties and Yangming School of Mind in the Ming dynasty.

The title will be a useful reference for scholars, students, and general readers interested in cultural history, intellectual history, and educational history of ancient China and especially the Chinese academy culture.

Xiao Yongming, a renowned Professor of History, is the Dean of Yuelu Academy at Hunan University and the Vice President of China Research Association of Academies. His main research interests are the history of Song and Ming thoughts and Chinese academy culture. He has been a visiting scholar at several universities, including the University of London, National Taiwan University, Cornell University, and the University of Arizona.