The Jixia Academy or Academy of the Gate of Chi Needham, Joseph.
Science and Civilisation in China
', Vol. 1, pp. 95 f. Cambridge University Press, 1956. , 9780521057998. Accessed 2 Nov 2012. was a scholarly academy during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

. It was located in Linzi, the capital of Qi (present-day

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

). The academy took its name from its position outside the city's western gate,Kirkland, R.
Taoism: The Enduring Tradition
', pp. 64 f. Routledge, 2004. , 9780203688670. Accessed 2 Nov 2012. named for the harvest god Ji.

Establishment

Based on passages in the ''

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...

'',

Sima Qian Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...

. ''

''. the academy is generally credited to King Xuan and given a foundation date around 318 BC. However,

Xu Gan Xu Gan (Chinese: 徐幹, pinyin Xú Gàn, 171–218), courtesy name Weichang ( 偉長), was a Chinese philosopher and poet of the late Eastern Han dynasty. He was also one of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an". He is best known in the West for his ...

credited the academy to King Xuan's grandfather, Duke Huan, and

's passages are consistent with King Xuan having restored rather than established the institution. Although the academy has been summarized as "the first time on record a state began to act as a patron of scholarship out of the apparent conviction that this was a proper function of the state", others argue that the '' Huanglao'' political theories and the prestige produced by the project were undertaken merely to bolster the

Tian ''Tiān'' () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, Chinese philosophy, philosophy, and Chinese folk religion, religion. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to ...

clan's legitimacy following Duke Tai's overthrow of Qi's previous Jiang dynasty and Duke Huan's execution of his brother, nephew, and mother.''

Bamboo Annals The ''Bamboo Annals'' (), also known as the ''Ji Tomb Annals'' (), is a chronicle of ancient China. It begins in the earliest legendary time (the age of the Yellow Emperor) and extends to 299 BC, with the later centuries focusing on the history ...

''. " Annals of Wei".

Importance

Scholars including the most renowned of the era came from great distances to lodge in the academy: the

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

philosophers Tian Pia,

Shen Dao Shen Dao (; c. 350c. 275BC) was a Chinese philosopher and writer. He was a " Chinese Legalist" theoretician most remembered for his influence on Han Fei with regards to the concept of shi 勢 (circumstantial advantage, power, or authority), th ...

, Peng Meng, and possibly

Zhuangzi Zhuangzi may refer to: * ''Zhuangzi'' (book) (莊子), an ancient Chinese collection of anecdotes and fables, one of the foundational texts of Daoism **Zhuang Zhou Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; als ...

;

Zou Yan Zou Yan (; ; 305 BC240 BC) was a Chinese philosopher and spiritual writer best known as the representative thinker of the Yin and Yang School (or School of Naturalists) during the Hundred Schools of Thought era in Chinese philosophy. Biography Z ...

, the founder of the

School of Naturalists The School of Naturalists or the School of Yin-Yang () was a Warring States-era philosophy that synthesized the concepts of yin-yang and the Five Elements. Overview Zou Yan is considered the founder of this school. His theory attempted to explai ...

; the

Mohist Mohism or Moism (, ) was an ancient Chinese philosophy of ethics and logic, rational thought, and science developed by the academic scholars who studied under the ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi (c. 470 BC – c. 391 BC), embodied in an eponym ...

philosopher

Song Xing A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

; and the

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

philosophers

Mencius Mencius ( ); born Mèng Kē (); or Mèngzǐ (; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucianism, Confucian Chinese philosophy, philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage", that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confuc ...

, Stockwell, Foster.
A History of Information Storage and Retrieval
'. McFarland & Company, 2001. .

Xun Zi Xun Kuang (; BCE), better known as Xunzi (; ), was a Chinese philosopher of Confucianism who lived during the late Warring States period. After his predecessors Confucius and Mencius, Xunzi is often ranked as the third great Confucian philosop ...

,Sato, Masayuki.
The Confucian Quest for Order: The Origin and Formation of the Political Thought of Xun Zi
'. Brill (Boston), 2003. and Chunyu Kun. The famous scenes of the ''

'' dealing with King Xuan arose from the philosopher's time at the academy. The Jixia Academy was also the original center of the '' Huanglao'' school and was involved with the compilation of the '' Guanzi'' essay ''

Neiye The c. 350 BCE ''Neiye'' 內業 or ''Inward Training'' is the oldest Chinese received text describing Daoist breath meditation techniques and '' qi'' circulation. After the '' Guanzi'', a political and philosophical compendium, included the '' ...

'' "Inward Training" that is the oldest received writing concerning "cultivation of qi" and meditation.Harper, Donald & al.
The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC
'. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1999. Some have argued it was the probable location for the editing and redaction that produced the current '' Tao Teh Ching''. The academy was popular not only because of the mansions and stipends provided, but because of the honors bestowed by King Xuan: the chief scholar held the rank of "Grand Prefect" and other leaders of the academy were called "Master" (, ''xiānshēng'') and honored as if they were high ministers of state (, ''shàngdàifū'') rather than lowly

scholar gentry The "gentry", or "landed gentry" in China was the elite who held privileged status through passing the Imperial exams, which made them eligible to hold office. These literati, or scholar-officials, (''shenshi'' 紳士 or ''jinshen'' 縉紳), als ...

and they were exempt from corvee. According to the anti-Confucian chapter eleven of

Discourses on Salt and Iron The Discourses on Salt and Iron () was a debate held at the imperial court in 81 BCE on state policy during the Han dynasty in China. The previous emperor, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Wu, had reversed the laissez-faire policies of his predecessors a ...

(81 BC), "King Xuan of Qi appreciated the scholars and their teachings. Mencius, Chunyu Kun, and others neglected the high offices they were given, preferring to make speeches about affairs of state. There were more than one thousand of these scholars disputing at the Jixia Academy in Qi. You admit that people like Gongsun Hong were everywhere then." From

Legacy

The Jixia Academy thrived until the reign of King Min. In 284 BC, it was scattered by

Yan Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed indepe ...

's sack of Linzi. However,

credited its example with the creation of other academies, particularly those of the Four Lords:

Lord Mengchang Lord Mengchang (; died 279 BC), born Tian Wen, was an aristocrat and statesman of the Qi Kingdom of ancient China, one of the famed Four Lords of the Warring States period. He was a son of Tian Ying and grandson of King Wei of Qi. He succeeded to ...

's within Qi, as well as Lord Pingyuan's in Zhao,

Lord Chunshen Lord Chunshen (; died 238 BC), born Huang Xie (),was a Chinese military general and politician. He served as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Chu during the late Warring States period of ancient China. He was one of the Four Lords of the Wa ...

's in Chu, and

Lord Xinling Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...

's in Wei.Kim, Hongkyung.
The Old Master: A Syncretic Reading of the ''Laozi ''from the Mawangdui Text Onward
'. SUNY Press, 2012. , 9781438440118. In

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

, the

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Lü Buwei Lü Buwei (291–235 BCE) was a Chinese merchant and politician of the Qin state during the Warring States period. Originally an influential merchant from the Wei () state, Lü Buwei met and befriended King Zhuangxiang of Qin, who was then a m ...

supported thousands of scholars between 250 and 238 BC.

Archaeology

In February 2022, archaeologists announced the discovery of the ruins of the academy in

Zibo Zibo (, ) is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital Jinan to the west, Tai'an to the southwest, Linyi to the south, Weifang to the east, Dongying to the northeast, and Binzhou to the ...

city,

province. The excavation, which had been going for 5 years before the announcement, turned up four rows of building foundations that belonged to the academy complex, along with architectural components that "would glow with colorful lights when the sun shines on them". The site measures about 210 m from east to west at its widest and 190 m long from north to south, shaped roughly like a right-angled trapezoid from above, with a total area of nearly 40,000 square meters.

References

External links

">Unraveling Early Daoist Oral Traditions in Guan Zi's "Purifying the Heart-Mind (Bai Xin)," "Art of the Heart-Mind (Xin Shu)," and "Internal Cultivation (Nei Ye)
/nowiki>"], Dan G. Reid {{Authority control Chinese philosophy Defunct schools in China Educational institutions established in the 4th century BC Qi (state) Zibo 2022 archaeological discoveries