Smell China

Just outside of the Dengfeng Township on the Songshan Mountains is the Songyang Academy, which was established during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and was one of the foremost schools of Classical Learning in Imperial China, sending its graduates into many positions in the Chinese Civil Service. There is a 3000-year old cypress tree in the Academy’s courtyard, which is believed to be the oldest in China. It also has a display of stone carvings, and exhibitions of calligraphy. Opening hrs: 8:00 am – 6:30 pm (Spring and Summer); 8:00 am – 6:00 pm (Autumn and Winter)

Yuelu Academy is one of the four famous academies in China, and it was established by Zhudong, magistrate of Tanzhou prefecture in 976A.D at the time of Northern Song Dynasty. The academy accepted disciples throughout the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was only in 1903 that the academy was transformed from a school of traditional Confucian learning to an institute of higher learning and in 1926 it was officially named Hunan University. Early in 1015, Emperor Zhen Zong of the Song Dynasty awarded the academy hid Majesty’s own handwriting Yuelu Academy on a tablet. Form then on many famous scholars and great thinkers gave lectures here, among them were Zhangshi, Zhuxi and WangYangming, thus making a great impact on the province’s culture and education. Most of the existing buildings here were constructions of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the bulk of the engraved stone plates and inscribed tablets have all been kept intact, In 1956 the academy was listed as a historical site at the provincial level and later, in 1988 it became a historical site at the state level. The last restoration project started in 1981 and the major part was completed in 1987. Now, here we are at the He Xi Platform, He Xi means the the splendour of the sunrise, It was named by Zhuxi, a great idealist philosopher of the Confucian school during the Song Dynasty, The platform was first built on the top of Yuelu hill, by Zhanshi, and later in 1528, a pavilion was built on it, But it became deserted with the passing time. In 1790 Luodian, the master of the academy, built a platform at the present site, In 1820, the succeeding master, Ouyang Houjun, renamed it He Xi Platform in order to memory Zhuxi and Zhanshi. It was restored in 1868. On the inner walls of the platform are two big Chinese characters Fu and Shuo, which mean blessing and longevity respectively. Legend has it that the Character Shuo was written with a broom soaked in yellow mud by a Taoist master at the time Master Luodian was attending a banquet in honour of the examination officials and those dispels who had passed the civil exam Hence it has been regarded as having celestial touch The character Fu was written by Luodian, the master himself. This gate in front of us is the Main Gate, the gate was formerly built at the time of the Song Dynasty, and was then called Central Gate. The main gate underwent both destruction and reconstruction in the course of time. The present structure was once thoroughly renovated in 1868. The characters Yuelu Academy on the horizontal tablet were inscribed by Emperor Zhen Zong of the Song Dynasty. It was presented as an award to Zhoushi, the master of the academy, when he was summoned to the emperor’s presence. On both door posts are couplets which read The kingdom of Chu, unique home of the talents, The Academy of Yuelu, the very cradle of all . It was composed in the Qing Dynasty by the master of the academy, Yuan Jiangang and his disciple Zhang Renjie. This gate was the Second Gate, It was first built in 1527 during the Ming Dynasty. It underwent repairs and restoration many times .It was completely devastated during the Anti-Japanese War .In 1984, the gate was restored to its former state. This is the Lecture Hall, where the students had lessons here, it was first built at the time of the Song Dynasty and was once named Jing Yi Hall. Now, it has a more elaborate name The Hall of the Loyalty, Liability, Honesty and Integrity, because on the inner walls of the hall are engraved four big Chinese Characters: loyalty, Liability, honesty and integrity. They were handwriting by the great scholar, Zhuxi, who once lectured here. Others, such as the School Regulations, the Administrations and Way to Read were masterpieces of the masters of the academy. On the two horizontal tablets hanging on top were written: Learn before you can probe the infiniteness of the universe. The doctrines taught here in the south are genuine Confucian doctrines. They were inscribed by the emperor Kangxi and Qianlong respectively during the Qing Dynasty. The building in front of us is the Yushu Library, yushu literally means imperial books, so Yushu Library, built in 999A.D in the early Song Dynasty, was a place to keep imperial books. Books were continuously sent here during the succeeding dynasties. The library was first named Classics Treasuring House in the Song Dynasty, Classic Venerating House in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and finally Yushu Library in the Qing Dynasty. It had been repaired and expanded many times, and now it has a collection of over twenty thousand Chinese classics. This building was rebuilt on its original site in 1986. The two small pavilions Xi Quan and Ni Lan, built during the Song and Ming Dynasties, were restored to the right and left of the compound galleries in order to display cultural relics.

Emperor Wu of Han (simplified Chinese: 汉武帝; pinyin: hànwǔdì; Wade-Giles: Wu Ti), (156 BC–March 29, 87 BC), personal name Liu Che, was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty in modern day mainland China, ruling from 141 BC to 87 BC. Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under his reign, as well as the strong and centralized Confucian state he organized. He is cited in Chinese history as one of the greatest emperors of the Han dynasty. Emperor Wu’s effective governance made the Han Dynasty one of the, if not the most powerful nation in the world.As a military campaigner, Emperor Wu led Han China through its greatest expansion — at its height, the Empire’s borders spanned from the modern Kyrgyzstan in the west, to northern Korea in the northeast, and to northern Vietnam in the south. Emperor Wu successfully repelled the nomadic Xiongnu from systematically raiding northern China and dispatched his envoy Zhang Qian in 139 BC to seek an alliance with the Yuezhi of modern Uzbekistan. This resulted in further missions to Central Asia. Although historical records do not describe him as a follower of Buddhism, exchanges probably occurred as a consequence of these embassies, and there are suggestions that he received Buddhist statues from central Asia, as depicted in Mogao Caves murals.

He ordered the first census in recorded history of China to take place in his reign.

While establishing an autocratic and centralized state, Emperor Wu adopted the principles of Confucianism as the state philosophy and code of ethics for his empire and started a school to teach future administrators the Confucian classics. These reforms would have an enduring effect throughout the existence of imperial China and an enormous influence on neighboring civilizations. Emperor Wu’s reign lasted 54 years — a record that would not be broken until the reign of the Kangxi Emperor more than 1800 years later.

Emperor Wu was the tenth child of Emperor Jing, and was born to one of Emperor Jing’s favorite concubines, Consort Wang Zhi in 156 BC. His mother had initially been married once, to a commoner called Jin Wangsun and had a daughter from that marriage. However, her mother Zang Er (a granddaughter of one-time Prince of Yan, Zang Tu, under Emperor Gao) was told by a fortuneteller that both Wang Zhi and her sister would one day become extremely honored. Zang got the idea to offer them to Crown Prince Liu Qi (later Emperor Jing) and forcibly divorced Wang Zhi from her husband in the process. A son was born shortly after Prince Qi succeeded the throne from his deceased father Emperor Wen.

When Consort Wang was pregnant, she claimed that she dreamed of a sun falling into her womb. It was also said that Emperor Jing dreamed of a crimson boar descending from the cloud into the palace. The young, newly born prince was therefore named Liu Zhi, with Zhi literally meaning “boar”, but also implying the dragon — a mystical sign of nobility and fortune. In 153 BC, Prince Zhi was made the Prince of Jiaodong.

As Emperor Jing’s formal wife Empress Bo had no children, his oldest son Liu Rong, born to his another favorite concubine Consort Li, was created crown prince in 153 BC. Consort Li was arrogant and easily jealous, and she hoped to become empress after Empress Bo was deposed in 151 BC. However, her lack of tact and bad personality would give Consort Wang a break. When Consort Li, out of a grudge to Emperor Jing’s sister Princess Piao, refused to let her son marry Princess Piao’s daughter Chen Jiao, Consort Wang took the opportunity and had Chen Jiao betrothed to Prince Zhi. Princess Piao then began incessantly criticize Consort Li for her jealousy — pointing out that if Consort Li became empress dowager, many concubines might suffer the fates of Consort Qi, Emperor Gao’s favorite concubine who was tortured, mutilated and killed by Emperor Gao’s wife Empress Dowager Lü after Emperor Gao’s death. Emperor Jing was shocked upon the suggestion, and decided that such risk must be prevented. He deposed Prince Rong from the successor position in 150 BC. Consort Li, enraged and humiliated with the turn of event, died very soon after. Prince Rong later was charged with committing misconducts, and committed suicide in custody.

That year, Consort Wang was created empress, and Prince Zhi became the crown prince, with his name changed to Liu Che. Given his young age, there was not much record of any accomplishments by him while being the Crown Prince. When Emperor Jing died in 141 BC, Crown Prince Che succeeded to the throne as Emperor Wu at age 15.

The Kangxi Emperor (Chinese: 康熙帝; pinyin: Kāngxīdì; Wade-Giles: K’ang-hsi-ti; Manchurian: Enkh Amgalan Khaan, May 4, 1654 – December 20, 1722) was the third Emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722. His reign of 61 years makes him the longest-reigning Chinese Emperor in history and one of the longest in the world.

However, having ascended the throne aged seven, he did not exercise much, if any, control over the empire until later, that role being fulfilled by his four guardians and his grandmother, the Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Kangxi, considered one of China’s greatest Emperors, was a pivotal figure in Chinese history, having defeated the Three Feudatories, the Zheng Jing government on Taiwan who previously would not submit to Qing rule and the Tzarist Russia, expanded the Qing empire in the northwest, and achieved such literary feats as the Kangxi Dictionary. Kangxi’s reign brought about long-term stability and relative wealth after years of war and chaos.

Emperor Kangxi was the architect of the period known as the “Prosperous Era of Kangxi and Qianlong” which lasted generations past his own life.

For more infomation,please view Kangxi_Emperor