The Logic of Knowledge: Zhu Xi's 'Gewu Zhizhi' and Its Profound Impact on Tongan Academies
Background: The Starting Point of a Sage’s Career In 1153 AD (the 23rd year of the Shaoxing era), a 24-year-old Zhu Xi arrived in Tongan County, Quanzhou Prefecture, to serve as the Sub-prefectural Registrar. This was not only his first official post but also a critical turning point where his Neo-Confucian theories moved from abstraction to practice. At that time, although Tongan was an established county, its “scholarly customs and folkways were in decline.” During his five-year tenure, Zhu Xi took direct charge of local education (Ling Xue Shi), transforming his philosophical core—“Gewu Zhizhi”—into actionable educational regulations. ...