In the eyes of many people, "University" is an exotic product from the West, and it is recognized that the first university in the world was born in Italy. However, this statement is not accurate, and an attribute-"university in the modern sense" must be added in front.
And if you want to ask "where is the first government-run university in the history of the world"? We still have to focus on "China Shandong" and look at "Xia Ji Gong Xue" in Zibo.
1. Why can Qi run a government-run university?
Gong Xue, Xia Ji, named after its location near Jimen, Linzi, the capital of Qi State, was founded in the period of Qi Huangong, which is proved by history: "In the past, Qi Huangong made Xia Ji an official and set up a doctorate, which attracted the respect of sages. Since Mencius, everyone has traveled in Qi." (About China)
With the growing strength of Qi, the demand for talents is growing. When Qi Weiwang and Qi Xuanwang were in power, they did not hesitate to recruit talents, and Jixia Academy reached its peak.
However, during the period of King Qi Xuan, because of his incompetence and complacency, he stopped listening to the advice of teachers and students in Gong Xue, which led to a large brain drain and the decline of Xia Ji Gong Xue. Until 22 BC1year, the state of qi was destroyed by the state of Qin, and this government-run university also perished, which lasted for about *** 150 years.
Why was Gong Xue, Xia Ji, born in Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, but there were no similar institutions in other countries?
1, historical reasons
(1) What was the most important in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period? talent
When it comes to education in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, almost everyone in China can think of one person, and that is Confucius.
When Confucius gave lectures in Lu, he was not a teacher in the system, but a pure private school.
Confucius once said, "I have never been ignorant of tying myself up." (The Analects of Confucius)
What do you mean by that? Just as the Tang Priest wanted to leave a "Zijin alms bowl" when he went to the West for Buddhist scriptures, Confucius did not allow him to drink the northwest wind when he set up a private school. He charged his apprentice tuition, and at least asked him to bring some gifts (bundles).
What are the benefits of expanding enrollment in private schools? That is to make the cultural knowledge that only nobles can learn take root in the people in an all-round way and cultivate a large number of cultural talents from the middle and lower classes of society.
With the decline of the Zhou royal family and the rise of the vassal state, these talents were finally used by the vassal state through free flow and travel around the world. This large number of talents laid the foundation for the emergence of Gong Xue.
(2) What was the most active during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period? think
When it comes to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, we always associate this history with one word-"a hundred schools of thought contend".
Although wars were frequent and turbulent during this period, such a situation made it impossible for monarchs of various countries to forcibly suppress certain ideas, which also made various "sons" and "factions" discuss and argue back and forth and promoted freedom of thought.
In the current words, it is the atmosphere of "letting a hundred flowers blossom".
On the contrary, if you are imprisoned by thoughts like after the Western Han Dynasty and "oust a hundred schools of thought and respect Confucianism alone", there will be nothing to argue about. It is beneficial to learn The Way of Confucius and Mencius.
Although this can't be said to be wrong, it is bound to greatly reduce creativity and diversity, and it is impossible to form a university like Xia Ji Gong Xue.
2. Practical reasons
Just now, we said that Qi spared no expense to recruit talents from all over the world and run the palace.
According to historical records, Xia Ji Gong Xue had tens of thousands of talents in its heyday. Although these people are not necessarily officials of Qi, their food and clothing need the supply of Qi.
Scholars at that time despised productive labor. Confucius himself was once ridiculed as "four bodies are not diligent, regardless of grain", and once said that a student who wants to learn farming is worthless. (The Analects of Confucius: "Fan Chi invited me to learn crops, and Confucius said,' Not as good as an old farmer'." ")
Contemporary powers, except Qi, have no possibility of producing universities.
For example, Guo Yan and South Korea are nominally the "Seven Heroes of the Warring States", but in fact their strength is one level lower. Yan is a little better than Han Guoqiang, but it is located in a remote place, which is not very attractive to talents.
Wei was particularly powerful in the early Warring States period, but because it was located in the land of four wars, it was dragged down by the war very early and withdrew from the ranks of powerful countries.
Although Zhao and Qin have always been strong, they both belong to countries that value weapons over literature. Although there are many celebrities, there is nothing to say about cultural administration. Qin began to pay attention to recruiting talented people at the end of the Warring States period, but still only paid attention to practical talents.
Chu has a large population and is stronger than Qi. However, Chu has not respected kingship for many years, and it is independent of the Central Plains cultural system, so many scribes avoid it.
Compared with the above-mentioned countries, the state of Qi faces the sea on both sides and lives across the river (the Yellow River), and the fishermen benefit from it and are famous for their wealth.
In order to dominate the world, Qi has always had a tradition of attaching importance to talents and recruiting talented people, so the "wind of cultivating scholars" prevailed, and the treatment of scholars was very generous, such as "killing a cow, taking a bean of meat and eating the rest." At the end of the year, there are two systems of cloth and silk, and the rest is clothes. "(Everything is wrong)
Therefore, based on the above reasons, it is inevitable that institutions such as Xia Ji and Gong Xue were first born in Qi.
Second, how does Xia Ji Gong Xue work?
Gong Xue, Xia Ji, was an important town where a hundred schools of thought contended during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and became the "Academy of Social Sciences" and "think tank" of Qi.
However, according to the current archaeological research, there are no specific "in-service" teachers in Jixia Xuegong, and there is no strict enrollment plan, so teachers and students are free to come and go.
What makes people feel even more unreliable is that Xia Ji Gong Xue doesn't even compile fixed textbooks, so teachers have great autonomy in teaching, and students even have the right to choose their own teachers.
Then, with such a large and loose organization and such a high degree of freedom, how can Qi ensure its normal operation?
1, the earliest "doctor" in China.
What does it take to be a teacher in Xia Ji, Gong Xue? At that time, of course, you didn't need to take the "teacher qualification certificate" or graduate from a prestigious school, but at least you had to be recognized by Wang Qi.
In the history of Jixia Xuegong, who are the famous teachers?
Chunyu Kun, a famous diplomat of Qi State, is no less than Confucius. Together with Qi Weiwang, he created the historical allusion of "If you don't fly, you will have it, and it will be a blockbuster" (Biography of Historical Records).
Mencius and Xunzi also taught in Gong Xue, Xia Ji. They are all representatives of Confucianism, and their names are ancient and modern, so I won't go into details here.
Zou Yan, a famous yin-yang scholar in the Warring States period, put forward the theory of five elements and the theory of five virtues, which influenced the culture of China for thousands of years.
Therefore, without a certain academic level, social prestige and the number of disciples, it is really difficult to get a foothold and get ahead among the teachers in Gong Xue, Xia Ji.
Correspondingly, the treatment given to teachers by the King of Qi is not low. They created the "doctor system", which is the first academic title system in the history of China. "Doctor" means "erudite", which means knowledgeable.
In addition to enjoying rich economic and academic benefits, doctors can also participate in the discussion of state affairs, directly help the decision-making of the King of Qi, and realize their life ambitions.
2. The earliest "student code" in China.
Because the teachers and students of Jixia Xuegong come and go freely, there are often thousands of students and many sects. How to manage them scientifically and effectively has become a thorny issue.
Therefore, the earliest "student code" in China was born in Gong Xue, Xia Ji, which is called the duty of disciples (not the rules of disciples).
Like the current Student Code, Disciple Post has detailed and clear regulations on how students enter school, attend classes, respect teachers, and work and rest. For example, in terms of learning methods, students are required to communicate for a period of time at night after learning from teachers during the day to enhance their understanding of what they have learned. This is called "learning early and learning late", which is similar to today's "self-study at night".
3. The earliest public-private school in China.
In the Western Zhou Dynasty, "learning in the official" was practiced. What do you mean by that? The power to run a school is in the hands of the government, and officials are part-time teachers, teaching and educating people. And the people they raise are not ordinary people, but aristocratic children.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it became "the emperor lost his official position and learned from the four foreigners". The Zhou Dynasty existed in name only, and the vassal States widely accepted people of insight for their own use, thus giving Confucius room to hold private schools.
Although Xia Ji Gong Xue is run by Qi State, its management style is quite different from that of public schools now.
First of all, its teachers are not officials of Qi, but full-time teachers who train scholars, and they occupy the official establishment. Moreover, when they came to Qi, they also brought their own students.
As mentioned just now, Chunyu Kun has "three thousand disciples" and Mencius has "hundreds of disciples".
Therefore, it is not so much that Qi co-founded with these famous teachers as that they co-founded.
4. China's rare academic freedom in ancient times.
The establishment of Jixia Academy in the State of Qi is intended to attract and cultivate talents with academic freedom and offer suggestions for the country to dominate the world.
Therefore, after teachers and students went to Jixia Academy, they were not only given the right to criticize the current disadvantages and speak freely, but also enjoyed the economic treatment equivalent to academic titles.
Qi treats all factions equally, and generally adopts them selectively, rather than suppressing them at will, giving all factions ample room for survival and speech.
Because academic freedom is allowed, in order to strengthen their own strength, various factions have tried to convince people through public debate and strive for the opportunity to gain the appreciation of the Qi king, thus forming a situation of "a hundred schools of thought contend".
Third, the merits and demerits of Jixia Academy
Xia Ji Gong Xue lasted for a century and a half from birth to extinction. In this long history, the aligned countries had a great positive impact, making Qi one of the countries with the longest prosperity in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
Talent is the first resource. "If a husband strives for the world, he must strive for others first." Xia Ji Gong Xue also provided a model for future generations in talent training.
However, as it is only a decision-making auxiliary organization, the role of Jixia Academy has a great relationship with Wang Qi's personal quality, so its reaction is also very obvious. In the later period, it was difficult for the fatuous kings of Qi to distinguish which suggestions were more suitable for Qi, but they were at a loss because of various contradictory suggestions.
Moreover, although Qi had a strong culture for a while, its backwardness in military affairs became more and more obvious compared with Qin and Zhao, which emphasized military affairs. Finally, after the collapse of the five eastern countries, Qi surrendered under the powerful military power of Qin.