Dieshan Academy

Dieshan Academy

Dieshan Academy is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

Located east of Yiyang County in Jiangxi Province and adjacent to the Xin River, Dieshan Academy covers an area of nearly 7,000 square meters. It was originally the place where Xie Bangde, a scholar of the Southern Song Dynasty, studied in his early years.

Xie Bangde, courtesy name Junzhi and art name Dieshan, died a martyr along with his entire family when the Southern Song was conquered by the Yuan Dynasty. In the fifth year of the Yanyou era (1318) during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Yuan Dynasty, local residents, despite opposition from the authorities, built this academy to commemorate Xie Bangde’s national spirit and integrity. It was later destroyed by fire and rebuilt during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty under Emperor Jiajing. The academy features simple yet grand architecture. The plaque on the main hall gate, inscribed with the four golden characters “叠山书院” (Dieshan Academy), was handwritten by national hero Lin Zexu. The wooden stage and massive stone pillars inside the hall retain their original appearance. Behind the hall lies the Wenchang Pavilion, where scholars of the academy once held ceremonies to pay tribute to Confucius. The blue stone walls are adorned with Ming Dynasty reliefs such as “The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea” and “Chang’e Flying to the Moon.” Since the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, Dieshan Academy has been one of the cultural and educational centers in the Xin River basin of eastern Jiangxi, nurturing a large number of national talents.

Between 1916 and 1919, revolutionary pioneers such as Fang Zhimin and Shao Shiping studied here. It now houses the site of Yiyang No. 2 Middle School, whose name was inscribed by Shao Shiping, former governor of Jiangxi Province.

Dieshan Academy has long been an important center for knowledge dissemination. During the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, it served as a teaching site for imperial examination candidates. When the imperial examination system was abolished at the end of the Qing Dynasty and modern schools were established, the academy was converted into Yiyang County High School in the 28th year of the Guangxu era (1902). During the Republic of China period, it became Yiyang County Junior High School. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it served as the county Party school, Yijiang Town Middle School, and Yiyang County No. 2 Middle School (later renamed Zhimin Middle School). In 1995, considering the preservation of historical relics, the county government placed Dieshan Academy under the management of the county museum and established a restoration body in 1996. Restoration work began, with the first phase completed in 1999. On October 28, marking the 710th anniversary of Mr. Dieshan’s martyrdom, a grand reopening ceremony was held, attended by scholars, experts, and descendants from around the world who had researched Xie Dieshan. The second phase of the restoration was completed in 1999, and the site officially opened to the public as a tourist attraction on New Year’s Day 2000. The newly restored academy, accentuated by exotic flowers and rare trees, showcases its former glory. Walking up the long red stone steps, visitors enter through the main gate of the academy—the Lisheng Gate. Its plaque was inscribed by Mr. Xie Hanru, president of the World Xie Clan Association. The central plaque “叠山书院” was originally written by the Qing Dynasty official Lin Zexu and is now reproduced in the handwriting of the late former governor of Jiangxi Province, Shao Shiping. Upon entering the Lisheng Gate, there is an ancient well to the right, known for its clear and sweet water. Historical records say that Lu Yu, the Tea Sage of the Tang Dynasty, once used its water to brew tea and praised it immensely, calling it the “Third Spring of Xinzhou.”

The first hall upon entry is the Wenchang Hall. Moved to the academy from the county Confucian temple in the first year of the Xianfeng era (1851) during the Qing Dynasty, it originally housed wooden spirit tablets of the God of Literature and Confucius with his disciples. It is now the “Confucius Worship Hall,” displaying portraits of Confucius and other sages and serving as a site for honoring ancient worthies. To the left of the Wenchang Hall is the Scripture Depository, built during the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, which was used to store books. Passing through a round stone gate, there is a garden filled with exotic plants and an elegant environment. On the lawn stands a stone carving of “碧落洞天” (Azure Sky Cave Heaven), personally inscribed by Zhu Xi, a Neo-Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty, when he was at the Biluo Cave Heaven Academy. The Minglun Hall, built in the second year of the Huangqing era (1313) during the Yuan Dynasty, is one of the earliest structures in Dieshan Academy. It was a place for expounding political teachings, ethics, and humanistic principles, and served as the main venue for lectures, ceremonies, and celebrations. The Minglun Hall consists of two sections: the first displays materials about Xie Dieshan’s life, while the second exhibits the history of Yiyang County’s culture and education. Exiting through a side door of the Minglun Hall leads to the Shan Zhang Room, which has a distinctive architectural style from the Yuan Dynasty. It is the oldest surviving single structure in the academy and was originally the residence and office of the “Shan Zhang” (head of the academy). It now serves as an exhibition room for Dieshan Academy’s restoration documents.

Exiting the Shan Zhang Room, visitors can admire the stone inscriptions on the left side of the corridor. These inscriptions mainly feature poems and writings by Mr. Xie Dieshan, all masterpieces by renowned calligraphers from China and abroad, forming a veritable gallery of calligraphy art within the academy. Along the corridor, visitors enter the Osmanthus Garden. Built during the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang era, it consists of three one-story buildings forming a concave-shaped courtyard. It earned its name from the ancient osmanthus trees planted within and was once a dormitory and dining area for students. Fang Zhimin and Shao Shiping lived here during their time as students. It is now the “Yiyang Opera Materials Exhibition Room.” The only multi-story building in Dieshan Academy is the Wangjiang Tower, which has two floors. Funded by Sun Sen, the then-county magistrate of Yiyang, it was built in the second year of the Tianqi era (1622) of the Ming Dynasty. Fang Zhimin and Shao Shiping established Jiangxi’s first revolutionary group, the “Jiuzhou Youth Society,” and founded the first Communist Youth League branch in northeastern Jiangxi here. The Wangjiang Tower offers the best view in the academy. With its classic and majestic presence, visitors can gaze into the distance to see the long bridge over the Xin River, the houses and cooking smoke in the southern part of the city, and take in the full panorama of the “Twelve Scenic Spots of Yijiang.”

Xie Dieshan (1226–1289), named Fangde, courtesy name Junzhi, and art name Dieshan, was a native of Zhoutan Township, Yiyang County, Jiangxi Province. He passed the imperial examination in the same year as Wen Tianxiang. In Chinese history, he is honored alongside the national hero Wen Tianxiang as one of the “Two Mountains” of patriotism. Throughout his life, he remained resolute, unyielding in poverty, and steadfastly refused to submit. In the final years of the Southern Song Dynasty, he exhausted his family fortune to organize volunteer forces to resist foreign invaders. After the fall of the Southern Song, he upheld his principles and firmly rejected the high-ranking positions and wealth offered by the Yuan Dynasty. In April 1289, Xie Dieshan died a martyr in the Miaozhong Temple in the Yuan capital where he was imprisoned.

Biography

Xie Dieshan... Detailed information on Xie Bangde++

Further reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units