Hongdu School is the first college of literature and art in China and the world. It is the pioneer of the Tang Dynasty College and is of great significance in the history of educational development.
Hongdumen School was founded in February of the first year of Guanghe, the Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 178), and it was named after the school was located in Hongdumen, Luoyang. Students who are recommended by the state, county and Sangong for writing letters, ci fu and calligraphy, birds and seals, can only enter the school after passing the examination. It is said that thousands of people have been recruited ("The History of the Emperors in the Later Han Dynasty"). Hongdumen studies mainly focus on letters, novels, ci-fu, calligraphy and painting. Chiju, the name of ancient letters, was called Chiju, Chihan, Chiju, Duie, etc. Because all the letters at that time were engraved with simple letters, and the specifications were one inch long, it turned out to be a practical style, which was widely used and had a certain writing format, including chapters, plays, tables, refutes, books and so on. By the Han Dynasty, Chiju The novels learned by Hongdumen School are different from today's novels, but only their predecessors, such as myths and legends, gossips, works with strange aims and people's aspirations, etc. In a word, Hongdumen school focuses on learning literature and art knowledge, which is different from other official schools that focus on Confucianism. Most of the students of Hongdumen School are undocumented landlords and their children, who are despised by the gentry. They are favored by the spiritual emperor because of their expertise in literature and art, and their way out is very generous. It was not from the time of Emperor Ling that the imperial court entrusted him with an important task because he was good at writing. For example, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a group of literary artists served in the imperial court. Among them, Sima Xiangru was famous for his Zi Xu Fu and Shang Lin Fu, and he made a lot of efforts to attack the southwest. In addition, Yan Zhu, Zhu Lingchen and other poets and essayists were also reused by Emperor Wu. These scholars actively supported the policies of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty in politics and showed extraordinary knowledge and talent in literature, so they were reused and appreciated. However, the literary scholar prized by Emperor Ling was fiercely attacked by the gentry group, because the establishment of Hongdumen School had a profound political background.
after the disaster of partisanship, the gentry group suffered great setbacks, but it always gained the upper hand in public opinion. Eunuch group, on the other hand, although politically successful, has never been dominant in public opinion because of its low social status and lack of intellectual support, which makes them deeply feel the importance of cultivating their own intellectuals. In order to compete with the gentry and the Imperial College they supported, the eunuch decided to set up Hongdumen School with the help of the spirit emperor's hobby of literature and art, so as to expand his own strength and strengthen the control of public opinion. Therefore, once it was founded, Hongdumen School met with the fiercest opposition from the gentry and Confucian scholars. It can be seen that Hongdumen School was the product of political struggle at that time. However, despite the political need, without the inherent conditions of culture and education, it is impossible to produce Hongdu School. The development of literature and art is another important condition for the establishment of this college of literature and art. The prose and ci fu of Han dynasty have always been recognized as a dazzling chapter in the history of ancient Chinese literature. Calligraphy also made great progress in the Han dynasty, and it began to be regarded as an art. Painting in the Han dynasty was also very developed, with figure painting as the main force, and the court also used painting to commend loyal ministers and righteous men. In a word, the development of literature and art provides conditions for the emergence of special education in literature and art. Emperor Han Ling was a mediocre emperor in history, and made no achievements in politics. However, he was able to resist the strong pressure from the gentry, insisted on establishing Hongdu School, fostered the development of literature and art, and opened the way for the establishment of various colleges in the Tang Dynasty. In ancient China, the selection of scholars was mainly based on Confucianism and Confucian classics, and also on poetry, which showed a tendency to attach importance to people's talent. Emperor Han Ling's reuse of literary scholars is the source of literary scholars, which is his positive role in the development of ancient education in China.