An Hyang (; 1243 – 12 September 1306), also known as An Yu (), was a leading

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...

scholar born in

Yeongju Yeongju (; ) is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It has an area of 668.84 km2 and a population of 113,930 people according to the 2008 census. The city borders Bonghwa county to the east, Danyang County of North Chungcheong Pr ...

in present-day

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, and was from the Sunheung An clan. He is considered the founder of

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) i ...

in Korea, introducing Song Confucianism to the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

kingdom. An Hyang visited

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, transcribing the works of

Zhu Xi Zhu Xi ( zh, c=朱熹; ; October 18, 1130April 23, 1200), formerly romanized Chu Hsi, was a Chinese philosopher, historian, politician, poet, and calligrapher of the Southern Song dynasty. As a leading figure in the development of Neo-Confuci ...

and bringing his copy and portraits of

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

and

to Korea to use in his revitalization of Confucianism. He strove to replace

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

with Confucianism. There is a portrait of him at the Sosu Seowon, which was built as a memorial to the scholar. There is also a statue of him on Banya-san in

Nonsan Nonsan (; ) is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at . The origin of Nonsan's geographical names is said to have come from the small garden " Nolmoe, " which rises in the middle of farming fields, where rice paddie ...

Family

* Father ** An Pu (; 1220 – ?) * Mother ** Princess Consort Sunjeong of the Gangju U clan () * Wives and their children ** Princess Consort Hannam of the Kim clan (); Kim Rok-yeon's third daughter (김록연,金祿延) *** Son - An U-gi (; 1265–1329) *** Daughter - Lady An of the Sunheung An clan () *** Daughter - Lady An of the Sunheung An clan () *** Daughter - Lady An of the Sunheung An clan () *** Daughter - Lady An of the Sunheung An clan () *** Daughter - Lady An of the Sunheung An clan () ** Princess Consort Seowon of the Yŏm clan (); daughter of Yŏm Su-jang () — No issue.

References

* tourinfo.khu.ac.kr/iboard/bbsUpFiles/제%205호.hwp * Grayson, James H. 2002 ''Korea - A Religious History''. RoutledgeCurzon. . People from Yeongju 1243 births 1306 deaths Neo-Confucian scholars Place of death unknown

Hyang ''Hyang'' (Kawi language, Kawi, Sundanese language, Sundanese, Javanese language, Javanese, and Balinese language, Balinese) is a representation of the King of the gods, supreme being, in ancient Mythology of Indonesia, Java and Bali mythology. T ...

13th-century Korean philosophers {{korea-bio-stub