Taixue

Imperial lecture-room in the old university building

Taixue (Tai-shueh; simplified Chinese: 太学; traditional Chinese: 太學; lit. 'Greatest Study or Learning'), or sometimes called the "Imperial Academy", "Imperial School", "Imperial University"[1][2][3][4] or "Imperial Central University", was the highest rank of educational establishment in Ancient China created during the Han dynasty. The Sui dynasty instituted major reforms, giving the imperial academy a greater administrative role and renaming it the Guozijian (國子監).[5] As the Guozijian, the institution was maintained by successive dynasties until it was finally abolished in 1905 near the end of the Qing dynasty.

Taixue taught Confucianism and Chinese literature among other things for high level civil service posts, although a civil service system based upon competitive examination rather than recommendation was not introduced until the Sui and did not become a mature system until the Song dynasty (960–1279).[6][7]

  1. ^ Michael Sullivan (1962). The Birth of Landscape Painting in China. University of California Press. pp. 26–. GGKEY:APYE9RBQ0TH.
  2. ^ Michael Sullivan (1980). Chinese landscape painting. University of California Press. p. 26.
  3. ^ Wesley M. Wilson (1 February 1997). Ancient civilizations, religions, Africa, Asia, world problems & solutions. Professional Press. p. 192. ISBN 9781570873041.
  4. ^ Arthur Cotterell (31 August 2011). China: A History. Random House. pp. 104–. ISBN 978-1-4464-8447-0.
  5. ^ http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr99-00/english/panels/ed/papers/711e01.pdf A Consultant Report to The University Grants Committee of Hong Kong
  6. ^ http://www.education.monash.edu.au/centres/mcrie/docs/conferencekeynotes/yang-china-higher-ed-massification-mexico.pdf Archived 2006-08-26 at the Wayback Machine Higher Education in the People’s Republic of China: Historical Traditions, Recent Developments and Major Issues
  7. ^ Ebrey, CIHC, 145–146.