Confucian Academies: Reading the Procedures

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries many disciples of the prominent Confucian exegete Wang Yangming (1472-1529) opened academies in the Jiangnan region. These academies were centers of learning wherein accomplished literati-officials often gathered to hear a series of lectures presented by a visiting Confucian scholar and engage in lively philosophical discussion. Called “discourses on learning” (jiangxue), these assemblies could be structured in a variety of ways: some opened with a period of reflective silence; others with recitation of a poem or singing. Most consisted of a lecture followed by a lively exchange between participants and a renowned leader. Our access to the inner workings of these meetings is largely through the genre of huiyu (Records of Meetings). Many huiyu reveal the date, venue, and approximate audience size. Most provide a synopsis of the meeting; such stylistic repetition suggests that there were established protocols for this genre. Considered redactions of these meetings, many huiyu were written in the form of a dialogue between a master and his disciple that is quite reminiscent of another genre, Chan Buddhist discourse records (yulu). 

Through an examination of the huiyu of prominent Confucians like Wang Ji (1498-1583) and Zhou Rudeng (1547-1629), this project seeks to better understand both huiyu as a genre and the socio-intellectual context it purports to record. While given to philosophic discussion, jiangxue were conceived of in much broader terms than would be suggested by a “lecture series” today. They were equally forums for learning and self-cultivation. In addition, to fleshing out the scope of these forums, this work will further compare the huiyu and yulu genres. Many of those who participated in Confucian jiangxue also expressed an avid interest in Chan Buddhist cultivation and this may have had some impact on their conception of both genre and format.