書院春秋

書院春秋

LEGENDS OF ANCIENT ACADEMIES

Over a century ago, there was once a cluster of academies (or Shu Yuan) in the Yuexiu area at the heart of Guangzhou. Centred on the Guangzhou State Office, there were hundreds of academies within the radius of 3.2 km in the late Qing Dynasty. Few academies can be found now, but the heritage of learning passes down from generation to generation and this region remains to be a favourable location for students with rich academic resources.

Compiled by Linda Translation by Sonia Photos by Nipic Illustration by Hao Lun

There were levels of schools in ancient China, such as Guo Zi Jian (imperial college), Zhou Xue (state school), Xian Xue (county school), Xiang Xue (town school), Yi Xue (free school), and She Xue (community school) in the Qing Dynasty. None of these names, however, is as elegant as Shu Yuan (literally “courtyard of books”): at the sight of the name, one feels like being in a yard of red brick walls and green roof tiles, with streams flowing by the doors. Looking through the windows, students are reading quietly at desks, surrounded by walls of books. Wind chimes jingle outside the windows, and recitation sound echoes inside. The students learn earnestly from the teachers and from one another. This is probably a dream place for all scholars.

Statistics show that in the Song Dynasty the number of Shu Yuan in the Pearl River region made 21% of the sum of the whole country. By the Qing Dynasty, the number of Shu Yuan in Guangzhou rose to the greatest nationwide. In Yuexiu old town area alone, there were as many as hundreds of Shu Yuan. It is phenomenal even around the nation that so many Shu Yuans were gathering in such a small place.

In the prime of Kangxi-Yongzheng-Qianlong reigns, on the long streets Da Ma Zhan and Xiao Ma Zhan in Guangzhou, a huge group of academies led by Yuexiu Academy was gradually formed, followed by Yuehua Academy (provincial), Yangcheng Academy (state level), Yushan Academy (county level), Xihulu Academy (county level), and Lujiang Academy (clan owned) among others. These schools became the nest of talents in the Lingnan region (south of the five ridges) and the roots of flourishing culture, education, and academic research at Lingnan during the late Qing Dynasty. After that, Xuehaitang, Jupo, and Yingyuan academies established in the Daoguang-Tongzi reigns took the academic development in Guangdong Province to its peak. Yingyuan Academy was an equivalent of an institute for Ju Rens - provincial graduates; number one and two, and dozens of Promoted Scholars selected from the Imperial Civil Examination were cultivated here. Xuehaitang and Jupo academies were equivalents of professional doctoral graduate institutions, where many famous scholars (such as Chang Wei and Chen Li) and numerous influential political figures in the late Qing Dynasty (such as Liang Dingfen, Tang Zongjun, and Liang Qichao) received their education.

What Shu Yuan did was more than passing down the knowledge of the books; it was the place of fostering the students' morale. The great achievement of humanity, integrity, and culture can only be acquired through the balance of the virtues between the mortal and heaven. This is the most significant ideal in Chinese traditional education.

Walking on the old Yuexiu Academic Street today, there are only eight left out of the hundreds in the prime time: Lujiang Academy, Kaoting Academy, Zheng Clan's Academy, Guanying Family School, Jiangdu Academy, Xie Clan's Academy, Lianxi Academy and Jianda Academy. Most of the old buildings were reformed to private residences due to historical reasons, buried under the everyday life. Recently, dedications towards restoration of the cluster of academies around this area have been raised. Through the demonstration of historic relics and artwork, efforts are made to reproduce the old days of Shu Yuan in the Qing Dynasty, in hope of retaining a city's scholarly memories for Guangzhou, an ancient cultural centre in South China.

百多年前，在廣州中心的越秀區，曾出現過威震一時的書院群。以廣州府衙為中心，區區方圓3.2公里之內，數百家書院云集。風雨滄桑，如今這些書院已難覓蹤影，但書香代代傳承，此地依然學風濃郁。

古代的學校有很多種，諸如“國子監”“州學”“縣學”“鄉學”“義學”“社學”等，但沒有一種名稱，能像“書院”這么典雅，讓人一看見它的名字，仿佛已置身于一個紅墻綠瓦的院子里，春水繞門，窗明幾凈，四壁是滿滿的書籍，窗外風鈴丁丁，窗內書聲瑯瑯。師生之間，執經問難；同學之間，相切相磋。此情此景，是每個讀書人夢寐以求的生活。

有統計數字顯示，早在宋代，珠江流域的書院占當時全國書院的21%。時至清代，廣州書院數量已高居全國之首。僅越秀古城區內，書院便多達數百家。街巷連片都是宗族背景的書院、書室或家塾的建筑群體，形成了規模龐大的書院群。彈丸之地竟匯集了如此眾多的書院，在全國都是罕見的。

在康雍乾盛世背景下，在廣州大、小馬站的長街上，先后創辦起越華書院（省級）、羊城書院（府級）、禺山書院（縣級）和西湖書院（縣級）、廬江書院（宗族）等眾多書院，逐漸形成一個龐大的教育群體，為嶺南培育出大批人才，并為清后期嶺南文化教育與學術研究蓬勃興起打下良好基礎。其后，道光、同治年間創辦的學海堂、菊坡精舍和應元書院，更將廣東省文化發展推到頂峰。

書院不僅講授學理，更注重培養人的品行。以人德上達天德，以天德貞定人德，最終完成其人性、人格、人文的大成。這是中國傳統教育的最高理想。

走在古老的越秀書院街上，今天還保存有廬江書院、考亭書院、曾家祠、冠英家塾、江都書院、謝氏書院、濂溪書院和見大書院等8家書院。許多古建筑都由于歷史原因改建成了民房,湮沒在市井當中。如今，越秀區正致力于復建流水井和大、小馬站的書院群，以文物實體展示和藝術表現的形式，盡可能再現清代書院群的歷史風貌，延續古城文脈，為廣州保留這一充滿書香的城市記憶。

（部分文字節選自《儒林芳草—廣州書院史話》）

Xuehaitang Academy

學海堂

This was established by then Guangdong & Guangxi governor Ruan Yuan in 1824 at Yuexiu Mountain with the aim of stressing old classics. Over the duration of more than seven decades, countless famous scholars and political figures were cultivated in this school, the cultural and academic centre of Guangdong at the time.

1824年，由兩廣總督阮元在越秀山創辦以專重經史訓詁為宗旨的書院。學海堂書院歷經70余年，培養出眾多的著名學者和經世人才，成為當時廣東文化學術的中心。

Jupo Academy

菊坡精舍

This was rebuilt at the old location of Chang Chun Monastery by Jiang Yili, then Guangdong governor at the foot of Yuexiu Mountain. It was a venue reserved for candidates of the Imperial Examination to conduct classic texts. Jupo Academy, together with Yingyuan and Xuehaitang, became renowned academies in late Qing Dynasty around the country.

1867年廣東巡撫蔣益澧在越秀山麓長春仙觀舊址改建。無齋舍之設，為專課舉、貢、生監經史詩賦之所。與應元書院、學海堂齊名，一度成為享譽全國的書院。

Yuexiu Academy

粵秀書院

Established in 1710, it was the public academy granted by the Qing imperial. It was grand and wellknown as one of the four academies in Guangdong (Yangcheng, Yuehua, Duanxi, and Yuexiu), and recruited students from the whole province.

創建于康熙四十九年（1710年），是清廷御批的官辦學院，規模宏大，為廣東四大書院(羊城、越華、端溪、粵秀)之一，向全省選錄生徒。

Yingyuan Academy

應元書院

Wang Kaitai, Provincial Governor in Guangdong, established the school at the foot of Yuexiu Mountain in 1869 in the Qing Dynasty. It was the highest education institute in Guangzhou.

由廣東布政使王凱泰于清同治八年(1869年)創設于越秀山麓應元宮。這是一家專為舉人提供修學之地的高層次書院，是當時廣州的最高學府。

Yuehua Academy

越華書院

Initiated in 1755 by Fan Shiji of Salt Bureau, this was an academy taking students exclusively from the salt merchant families, as it was partly sponsored by the salt merchants.

乾隆二十年（1755年），由鹽運司范時紀發起，與廣東鹽商合資開辦一所專門供鹽商子弟讀書的書院。