Huxi Academy

　　In the sixth year of the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty (1511), Wang Yangming returned from his exile in Longchang. Passing through Chen Prefecture, he was pleased by the simplicity and integrity of the local people. He stayed at the Longxing Lecture Temple for a full month, discussing philosophy with Jiang Xin (courtesy name Daolin) of Wuling and composing poetry about the landscape. The imperial scholar Tang Yuxian followed him and learned the doctrine of extending innate knowledge, inspiring many scholars. In the 23rd year of the Jiajing era (1544), Xu Shan, the prefectural magistrate of Chen Prefecture and a disciple of Wang Yangming, along with Wang Shilong, the county’s supervisory vice commissioner, built Huxi Retreat. A stone carving of the image of Wen Cheng Gong (Wang Yangming) was enshrined inside, with a horizontal plaque inscribed with one of his quatrains. During the Longqing era, Prefect Xu Yanshou added more school buildings. In the early Chongzhen era, Regional Administrator Fan Liangshu expanded the buildings and renamed it Yangming Academy.

　　The academy was destroyed during the wars at the end of the Ming Dynasty. In the 45th year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1706), Prefect Chi Rui reconstructed several rooms on the original site. In the 4th year of the Yongzheng era (1726), Deputy Prefect Huang Shu renovated it again. In the 11th year, Zhao Nian, the magistrate of Yuanling County, established a free school there and renamed it Huxi Academy. It was later repaired and expanded multiple times to serve as an educational institution. During the Republican period, it was often occupied by troops, and the buildings gradually deteriorated year by year. After the founding of New China, it was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province in 1956. It was later de-listed due to long-term neglect. In 1986, with funding from the National Cultural Heritage Administration and allocations from the county government, a single-story brick-and-wood structure was built on the original site in the original style, serving as an exhibition hall for the county museum.