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 in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

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

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

). 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 or

Hou ji Hou Ji (or Houji; ) was a legendary Chinese culture hero credited with introducing millet to humanity during the time of the Xia dynasty.. Millet was the original staple grain of north and South China, northern China, prior to the introduction of ...

Establishment

Based on passages in the ''

Records of the Grand Historian The ''Shiji'', also known as ''Records of the Grand Historian'' or ''The Grand Scribe's Records'', is a Chinese historical text that is the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written during the late 2nd and early 1st ce ...

'',

Sima Qian Sima Qian () was a Chinese historian during the early Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for the ''Shiji'' (sometimes translated into English as ''Records of the Grand Historian''), a general history of China cov ...

. ''

''. the academy is generally credited to King Xuan and given a foundation date around 318 BC. However, Xu Gan credited the academy to King Xuan's grandfather, Duke Huan of Tian Qi, not to be confused with Duke Huan of Qi.

's passages are consistent with King Xuan having restored rather than established the institution. 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", though some have argued that its '' Huanglao'' political theories, and the prestige produced by the project, were undertaken merely to bolster the

Tian Tian () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophy, and cosmology. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to their highest god as '' Shangdi'' or ''Di'' (, ...

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

Bamboo Annals The ''Bamboo Annals'' ( zh, t=竹書紀年, p=Zhúshū Jìnián), also known as the ''Ji Tomb Annals'' ( zh, t=汲冢紀年, p=Jí Zhǒng Jìnián), is a chronicle of ancient China. It begins in the earliest legendary time (the age of the Yellow E ...

''. " 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 (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

philosophers Tian Pia, Shen Dao, Peng Meng, and possibly Zhuangzi;

Zou Yan Zou Yan (; 305 BC240 BC) was a Chinese philosopher and spiritual writer of the Warring States era, Warring States-era. He was best known as the representative thinker of the Yin and Yang School (or School of Naturalists) during the Hundred School ...

, the founder of the School of Naturalists; the

Mohist Mohism or Moism (, ) was an ancient Chinese philosophy of ethics and logic, rational thought, and scientific technology developed by the scholars who studied under the ancient Chinese philosopher Mozi (), embodied in an eponymous book: the '' ...

philosopher Song Xing; and the

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 ...

philosophers

Mencius Mencius (孟子, ''Mèngzǐ'', ; ) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, often described as the Second Sage () to reflect his traditional esteem relative to Confucius himself. He was part of Confucius's fourth generation of disciples, inheriting ...

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

Xun Zi Xunzi (荀子, ''Xúnzǐ'', ; ), born Xun Kuang, was a Chinese philosopher of Confucianism during the late Warring States period. After his predecessors Confucius and Mencius, Xunzi is often ranked as the third great Confucian philosopher of a ...

,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'' "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 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, had reversed the ''laissez-faire'' policies of his predecessors and imposed a w ...

(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's sack of Linzi. However,

credited its example with the creation of other academies, particularly those of the Four Lords: Lord Mengchang's within Qi, as well as Lord Pingyuan's in Zhao, Lord Chunshen's in Chu, and Lord Xinling'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, the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Lü Buwei 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 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 {{chinese philosophy Ancient Chinese philosophy Defunct schools in China Educational institutions established in the 4th century BC Qi (state) Zibo 2022 archaeological discoveries