Bailuzhou Academy is a place of culture and learning.

It was early autumn in Ji'an, Jiangxi, but the temperature was still as high as 34°C. However, the tight schedule and hot weather did not stop us from witnessing the cultural highlands with our own eyes.
Bailuzhou Academy in Ji'an, Jiangxi was founded by Jiang Wanli, the governor of Jizhou in the Southern Song Dynasty, in 1241 AD, and continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty. During this period, it was destroyed and rebuilt many times due to military disasters and floods. Bailuzhou Academy, together with Bailudong Academy in Lushan, Ehu Academy in Yanshan, and Yuzhang Academy in Nanchang, is known as the four major academies in ancient Jiangxi and was an important place for cultural education at that time.
Bailuzhou is located in the heart of the Ganjiang River in Ji'an City. It is said that it was named after its shape like an egret, and the lush forests and bamboo on the island attracted many egrets to inhabit. There is also a saying that it originated from the famous sentence "Three mountains are half falling outside the blue sky, and two waters are divided into Bailuzhou" in the poem of Li Bai, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, and the academy was named after the island.
The establishment of Bailuzhou Academy is closely related to the profound cultural heritage of Ji'an. Ji'an was known as Luling in ancient times. Since the Tang Dynasty, literati such as Du Shenyan and Yan Zhenqing have left their footprints here, promoting the development of local culture. By the Song Dynasty, Ouyang Xiu and others had started the prosperity of articles, making Ji'an a stronghold of cultural education.
The architectural complex of the academy includes Yunzhang Pavilion, Fengyue Building, etc. These buildings not only have traditional Chinese architectural styles, but also incorporate the characteristics of the Republic of China. Bailuzhou Academy not only cultivated many literati and scholars, but also nurtured national heroes like Wen Tianxiang. Today, Bailuzhou Academy has been designated as a cultural relic protection unit in Jiangxi Province, and the government at all levels has allocated funds for maintenance many times. Bailuzhou Academy has become an important cultural landmark in Ji'an City, attracting many tourists to visit and learn, and to get a glimpse of the style of the academy in the past. At the same time, Bailuzhou, where the academy is located, has also become a cultural oasis integrating education, tourism, leisure and ecology, and continues to inherit the essence of Luling culture.

Post by RamblingRoamer | Sep 14, 2024