The Legacy of Martial Prowess: Rise, Fall, and Regulations of Jiujiang Yiwu Academy in the Ming Dynasty
The Legacy of Martial Prowess: Rise, Fall, and Regulations of Jiujiang Abstract Jiujiang, historically known as Xunyang, has long served as a “strategic gateway of the southeast” and a perennial theater of war. In 1527 (the 6th year of the Jiajing reign), He Fei (also recorded as He Qu), the local military defense official (Bingbei), observed a critical lack of formal education among the children of military officers. He subsequently established the Yiwu Academy in the southeast corner of the Jiujiang Wei (Garrison) headquarters, pioneering the integration of literary and military studies in the region. The academy was a grand complex with over 30 bays (ying) of buildings, focusing on the Seven Military Classics and the Six Arts. Although destroyed during the late Ming and early Qing transitions, its influence on military education persisted until the formal abolition of the imperial examination system in 1905 (the 31st year of the Guangxu reign). Drawing from the Jiujiang County Chronicle, this article reconstructs the history of this unique institution. ...