Bailuzhou Academy 白鹭洲书院

About Bailuzhou Academy

Repeated floods and rebuilding shaped its history, making the raised grounds and river edge especially meaningful. Fengyue Tower and Yunzhang Pavilion preserve the academy’s most recognisable architectural group, while the pond recalls an earlier phase of reconstruction. The setting brings the traditions of study into direct contact with a river that both sustained and threatened the site.

The academy takes its name from a line by the Tang poet Li Bai; it was founded in 1241, in the Southern Song dynasty, by the Ji'an prefect Jiang Wanli (江万里), who taught there himself and later invited the scholar Ouyang Shoudao (欧阳守道) as its first headmaster. Song-dynasty students included the statesman Wen Tianxiang (文天祥).

The academy was destroyed by flood in 1282 and repaired by the Ji'an administrator Li Jue (李珏); it was largely destroyed in fighting between Red Turban and Yuan forces in 1352, damaged again by flood two years later, and rebuilt in 1355. It later fell into disrepair, and the prefect Huang Zongming (黄宗明) rebuilt its lecture hall in 1526; citing flood risk, the academy was relocated to Ci'en Temple on Renshou Mountain and renamed, and by the Wanli era it existed in name only.

In 1592 the governor Wang Kesou (汪可受) moved the academy back to Bailuzhou, built embankments to guard against flooding, repaired and enlarged the Song-era halls and towers, and added new study rooms and estate land to fund the school; he was later honoured in the academy's shrine. The academy was listed in the seventh group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位) in 2013, and it underwent comprehensive restoration between August 2013 and December 2015.

What to look for

• Fengyue Tower and Yunzhang Pavilion at the end of the river island.
• The academy pond and raised, defended island setting.

Location & getting there

Getting to Bailuzhou Academy

Approach Bailuzhou from Ji’an’s Yanjiang Road, following the academy signs onto the river island. Use the public academy entrance and respect any separate school areas on Bailuzhou.