Academies of Classical Learning

Unlike national academies and district schools, shuyuan were usually private establishments built away from cities or towns, providing a quiet environment where scholars could engage in studies and contemplation without restrictions and worldly distractions.

They were places where scholars could teach and study the classics, and where books collected from around the country could be preserved.

The bestowal of a calligraphic signboard by the emperor was an extremely important symbol of an academy's status during the Northern Song period.

In 977, the Taizong Emperor bestowed on the White Deer Grotto Academy a copy of the Nine Chinese classics printed by the Guozijian.

The White Deer Grotto Academy, which had fallen into ruin, was rebuilt by the prominent neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi in 1179–80 during the Southern Song (1127–1279) and reopened in 1180.

[1] During the Qing, thousands of academies were created for the purpose of preparing students for the Imperial Examination, although there were still some that functioned as centres of study and research.

In discussing the shuyuan, it is common to speak of the "Four Great Academies" (四大书院; sì-dà shū-yuàn) of ancient China.