[4] The academy has been characterized 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",[5] though some have argued that its Huanglao political theories, and the prestige produced by the project, were undertaken merely to bolster the Tian clan's legitimacy following Duke Tai's overthrow of Qi's previous Jiang dynasty[6] and Duke Huan of Tian Qi execution of his brother, nephew, and mother.
The Jixia Academy was also the original center of the Huanglao school and was involved with the compilation of the Guanzi essay Neiye "Inward Training" that is the oldest received writing concerning "cultivation of qi" and meditation.
[2] The academy was popular not only because of the mansions[3] and stipends provided,[9] but because of the honors bestowed by King Xuan: the chief scholar held the rank of "Grand Prefect"[clarification needed] and other leaders of the academy were called "Master" (先生, xiānshēng) and honored as if they were high ministers of state (上大夫, shàngdàifū) rather than lowly scholar gentry and they were exempt from corvee.
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.