Yuelu Academy, Hunan, China
4.5 (232 reviews) Spent Ranking #2 in Changsha Historic Sites
Nice Academy at the Base of the Mountain
This academy is at the base of Yuelu Mountain and is 40 RMB to enter. There are a few signs to explain the buildings significance in English but most parts are only Chinese. I spent about an hour here after doing the Yuelu Mountain hike. There's an exit to Yuelu Mountain from here too if you want to go to the mountain. The Yuelu Academy is near Hunan University and a snacking street. I was also pleasantly surprised with warm water in the faucets by the toilets! Closest metro is Hunan University Station and the area is pleasant to walk around in. It was a bit overcast and rainy when I went but I still enjoyed it. The temple was closed when I went for the CNY break but you could still walk around the courtyards and hallways.
Address
East of Yuelu Mountain, Yuelu District, Changsha 410006 China
Website
http://ylsy.hnu.cn
Current local date and time now
Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 11:00
User Ratings
4.5 based on (232 reviews)
Reviews
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4kalebsmith 5:00 PM Jan 18, 2014
A Glimpse At A Millenium of Education
I was really struck by this place, trying to imagine what school was like there about 900 years ago. Getting lost, trying to find a class, seeing a drinking buddy in the crowded hallway, getting scolded for talking about girls during writing class. As different as it is from my own school, separated by great span of centuries and distance, I know that some parts of adolescence will never change... I snuck up the steps to a part of the school no longer open to tourists. The many guards live on campus, apparently in the old dorms. I sat in a straw chair on the hill, overlooking the school, and shared a silent tea and cigarette with an accommodating guard, who seemed to want some company, even if I could only give him my presence. From my notebook, written by the beautiful little waterfall in the garden in the center of the academy: "Feeling the history of Changsha's Yuelu Academy, specifically the pictures and ideas of its millenia-old lecturers, I was swept up into thoughts of learning, education, and purpose. What is the purpose of working hard to harness and master the subtle tools of mind if not to create a great work of expression with those tools?A fine sculpture of ideas and culture that will move others to think or feel something deeply. The appreciation of such works is an act of empathy, as the artist, himself, must genuinely feel before he can wrestle that subject up into form. But what a master learns, too, is the proper maintenance of his tools -- keeping his chisel sharp and taking care to preserve it from the elements he knows will rust or degrade it. The level of his ability is kept masterful only with daily disciplined practice, exercise, and continued learning. The faces of those renowned teachers, posing stoic and refined, were arranged chronologically and spanned over 1,000 years. This reminded me of the short insignificance of me and my century"
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4Mitch 5:00 PM Apr 28, 2021
A Walk Through History
This place is located at the base of Yuelu Mountain. It’s the oldest academy of its kind in China, dating back thousands of years. Confucius taught here at one point and Mao visited here many times in his youth. The academy has an entrance fee of about 45rmb but it’s worth it overall. The space is fairly large, with many little courtyards and rooms to weave through. There are lots of old books and documents to peruse, and there’s a spattering of English signage to get a better understanding of the history there (though not everything is translated). There are some shops there selling various books and trinkets as well that are a step above the usual tourist trash, though you’ll be paying the cost. Overall, it’s a nice walk and a great opportunity to ponder the ever-flowing river of time and history we find ourselves a part of.
