Bailudong Academy is located at the southern foot of Houping Mountain, about 10 kilometers south of Wulaofeng in Lushan Mountain, Jiujiang, Jiangxi. There is Zuoyi Mountain in the west and Zhuoer Mountain in the south. It is surrounded by three mountains and has one water (Guandao River) flowing in the middle. There is no noise from the market but the beauty of springs and rocks. It is located at the northeastern end of the south scenic area of ??Wulaofeng Mountain in Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi Province, next to Jiuxing Highway and 9 kilometers away from Xingzi County. The academy was built in the Tang Dynasty.
During the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), Bailudong Academy was originally a secluded study place for brothers Li Bo. According to literature, "Bo raised white deer for his own entertainment, and was known as Mr. White Deer." Later, Li Bo was appointed as the governor of Jiangzhou and revisited the old place. He built buildings and pavilions here, introduced springs and planted flowers. It became a tourist attraction and was named Bailu Cave. According to legend, during the Zhenyuan period of the Tang Dynasty (around 785 AD), Luoyang native Li Bo and his brother Li She lived in seclusion here to study and raise a white deer for their own entertainment. This deer has good human nature and often follows around, and can travel dozens of miles to Xingzi County to buy back all the books, paper, pens, ink, etc. that the owner wants to buy. Therefore, Li Bo was called Mr. Bailu at that time, and his residence was called Bailu. Deer Cave. Later, when Li Bo was appointed as the governor of Jiangzhou, he built a pavilion at the former site of the reading platform. In Shengyuanzhong of the Southern Tang Dynasty, he set up a school here, called "Lushan Chinese Studies". During the Shengyuan period of the Southern Tang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties, "Lushan Chinese Studies" was established here; in the early Song Dynasty (960-1127 AD), it was expanded into an academy and officially named "Bailudong Academy". Bailudong Academy is the first complete academy in Chinese history, and together with Yuelu, Juyang and Shigu, it is known as one of the "four major academies in the world". Bailudong Academy was one of the highest institutions of learning in my country during the Song Dynasty, ranking first among the four major academies in ancient China. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the academy was destroyed by war. In the sixth year of Chunxi in the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1179), Zhu Xi served as the governor of Nankang. He rebuilt the buildings in the academy, invited famous teachers, enriched the library, gave lectures in person, and petitioned for the imperial seal. Its reputation has soared, and famous philosophers such as Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Shouren in the Song Dynasty gave lectures here. When Zhu Xi, an acting scholar and educator in the Song Dynasty, was the governor of Nankang (today's Xingzi County), he rebuilt the academy and gave lectures here in person. He determined the rules and purposes of running the academy, and petitioned for the grant and imperial letter, which attracted many people at home and abroad. Well-known scholars came here to give lectures, which made it famous. It became a model for "lecture-style" academies from the late Song Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty for hundreds of years, and became a cultural center in my country at that time. Later generations of academies went through several ups and downs, and most of the existing buildings were built during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty.
The academy is located next to Guandao River, covering an area of ??nearly 3,000 acres and a construction area of ??3,800 square meters. There are Lingxing Gate, Banchi, Lisheng Gate, Lisheng Temple, Zhuzi Temple, Bailu Cave, Yushu Pavilion and other major buildings. On the stone wall of the Ceremony Hall, there are stone tablets and stone carvings of Confucius' portraits. The Zhuzi Temple on the east side of the Lisheng Temple was built in memory of Zhu Xi. There is a stone cave behind Zhuzi Temple with a stone white deer inside. According to "White Deer Cave Chronicles": "In the beginning, Deer Cave was known as Wudong. During the Jiajing Jiawu period (i.e. the 13th year of Jiajing, 1534 AD), the prefect Wang Qin built a mountain behind the lecture hall and built a platform for it. What is the prefect? The stone deer was carved into the cave. "Bailu Cave was originally named after the mountain peaks surrounding it like a cave; the existing stone cave and stone deer were built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty.
In the east chamber of Zhuzi Temple, there is a stele gallery with more than 120 ancient steles from the Song Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Among these ancient inscriptions, there are authentic handwritings by Zhu Peng, and "Song of Traveling to Bailu Cave" written by Luo Hongxian, the number one scholar in the Ming Dynasty, who was signed as Zixia Zhenren. These famous calligraphy strokes are solemn and powerful, and the brush strokes are as delicate as a dragon; they are not only precious calligraphy works of art, but also important historical materials with research value.
In front of the Zhuzi Temple, juxtaposed with the Ceremony Temple is a two-story pavilion, the "Yushu Pavilion". It was built at the request of Zhou Can, the prefect of Nankang, after Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty gave the academy a plaque and ancient books. There are two osmanthus trees in front of the pavilion. According to legend, they were planted by Zhu Xi; but some people say they were planted during the construction of the "Yushu Pavilion" in the Qing Dynasty. The ancient trees here are thickly shaded, and the sunlight passes through the gaps between the trees and casts small mottled circles on the ground. The wind blows the trees, and the light and shadow sway, just like the rippling lake water, making the environment quiet and the scenery pleasant.
In the northwest corner of Lingxing Gate, there are not only the beauty of winding paths, mountains, rocks, forests and springs, but also the "Diaoji Stone", "Shushi", "Lu Mianchang" and "Liubipike". Wonderful deeds. On Soseki and Ryubichi, both are named after the stone carvings "Sooseki" and "Rubichi" written by Zhu Xi.
"Deer Sleeping Field", it is said that the white deer raised by Li Bo in the Tang Dynasty slept here. The Diaoji stone is also engraved with the word "Diaotai" in Zhu Xi's handwriting. It is said that Zhu Xi often fished here. In fact, the water here is shallow, the springs are blue, and the currents are rapid, and there are very few fish. Therefore, Liu Shiyang in the Ming Dynasty also carved the four words "not interested in fish" on the stone, which is a wise saying.
The existing buildings of Bailudong Academy are built in series from west to east along the Guandao River. The buildings are all facing south, with stone and wood or brick and wood structures. The roofs are all herringbone-shaped hard tops, which are quite elegant. An air of indifference.
At its peak, Bailudong Academy had more than 360 buildings. It has been built and destroyed many times. Today, there are still the Ritual Temple, Yushu Pavilion, Zhuzi Temple, etc. It is reported that there are more than 7,000 large and small academies established in our country in the past dynasties. However, due to the changes of time and vicissitudes of life, very few academies have been preserved to this day, and even fewer academies have been preserved and restored as well as Bailudong Academy. In the academy, large and small courtyards intersect in an orderly manner; pavilions, pavilions, and pavilions are simple and elegant; beautiful flowers and trees have different postures; and poems and couplets can be found everywhere. This fully reflects the characteristics of ancient academies in studying classics and history, asking questions, composing poems and couplets, and dancing and writing. The most fascinating thing in the courtyard is the stele gallery on both sides of the "Shensi Garden". There are many stone carvings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and more than 100 of them are still in existence. There are "White Deer Cave Academic Regulations" written by Zhu Xi and inscriptions on previous constructions. There are many poems and inscriptions praising the academy and praising the scenery, which are quite rich in content. Among them, the most amazing thing is the "Song of Traveling to Bailu Cave" written by Zixia Zhenren with cattails, which is like a flying dragon and a phoenix dancing on the wall. This Zixia real person is from Jishui, Jiangxi. Very talented, he won the first prize at the age of 26 and served as editor of the Imperial Academy of the Ming Dynasty. Later, he was dismissed from his post and returned to his hometown because he wrote a letter to offend the emperor. Since then, he has carefully studied maps and history, explored astronomy and geography, and made outstanding contributions to cartography in particular. The "Guangyu Map" he drew is the earliest provincial map in my country. He loved fieldwork and said in his own words: "Whenever I hear people talking about famous places, I often feel envious. I am not afraid of trekking thousands of miles away. Since I returned to the fields, my interest has become stronger." He once swam to Bailu Cave with a bamboo stick and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. He was so passionate that he borrowed a pen from an academy scholar to express his emotions. Everyone saw that he looked like a beggar and ignored him. Zixia Zhenren gathered cattail grass and wrote "Song of Visiting Bailu Cave" on the wall, saying: "What year is Bailu Cave, right next to Wulao Peak. When Wulao died, the sky was not full, and I looked down at the world of smoke and clouds. I want to capture it. The beautiful scenery is full of green hibiscus. The stone fan is half-hidden, and the green servant girls are like meeting each other. The wind and thunder are looming in the valley, and the hundreds of feet of pines outside the cave gate have turned into green dragons. The blue dragon rides on the white deer, the spring is good to drink, and the mushrooms are delicious. Who is willing to stay in the empty mountain? Super feeling. Today's tourists and poetry and calligraphy lovers all recite it over and over again and savor it carefully.
The academy is surrounded by mountains, with Houping Mountain to the north, Zuoyi Mountain to the west, and Bal Mountain to the south. A stream meanders past the door, with clear springs, beautiful rocks, towering ancient trees, lush forests and bamboos, and the environment is very beautiful. Outside the academy, there are eight major landscapes, including Huagai Pine, Huiliu Mountain, Dudui Pavilion, Zhenliu Bridge, and Crouching Deer Slope. There are rugged rocks in the stream, and there are several poems engraved nearby, including the words "White Deer Cave", "Pillow", "Zijing" and other words engraved by Zhu Xi. These beautiful scenery and wonderful places are also too beautiful to behold.