White-Deer Grotto Academy(Bai Ludong Academy)

White-Deer Grotto Academy(Bai Ludong Academy) is situated on the southern foot of Lushan Mountain of Jiangxi Province. This academy is backing on the mountains and the building groups are surrounded by the ancient trees.

During the period of Southern-Tang Dynasty, Bailudong or White-Deer Grotto was officially used for academy, historically called”Lushan-Mountain Guoxue Academy”. It is one of the four greatest academies in China at that time. The others are Yuelu Academy, Yingtianfu Academy and Songyang Academy. It is also one of the Provincial Four Great Academies in Jiangxi, the other three are Bailuzhou Acandey in Ji’an, Ehu Academy in Qianshan, and Yuzhang Academy in Nanchang.

The founder of academy traced back to Tang Dynasty. In 940, the authorities of Southern Tang Dynasty established this school nearby Li Bo’s reclusive residence, which was similar to the Guozijian in Nanjing as the top higher-education center. In Song Dynasty, it was renamed ’’Bai Ludong Academy(White-Deer Grotto Academy)’’. But at that time it was unfamous until Chu Hsi rebuilt this academy. Chu His also built the strict academy regulations and rules. The Rule of White-Deer Grotto Academy(Bai Ludong Academy) embodies the basic educational thought system based on Confucian Classics. It was the model of China’s Academy in the next 700 years, and its rules also became one of the earliest educational rules in Chinese Educational History.

Since the efforts made by Chu Hsi, Bailudong was as famous to be one of the academic center as Yuelu Academy in Changsha of Hunan Province. In the late era of Yuan Dynasty, White-Deer Grotto Academy(Bai Ludong Academy) was collapsed by the war, in 1436, it was firstly reconstructed in Ming Dynasty, and subsequently it was rebuilt for several times in Ming Dynasty. In the late 19th century, as the dramatic change of, the prime time of educational reform appeared. In 1898, the national reform in Qing Dynasty, it became a college.

In 1959， it was listed to be the protection unit of cultural and historic relics in Jiangxi Province. In 1988, it was one of the national key cultural protection unit and second-level natural reserve. In 1990, the administration committee of White-Deer Grotto Academy(Bai Ludong Academy) was established. Currently, it is the center for cultural and historical relics management, teaching, academic research and touring reception as well as gardening establishment.