Héngyáng

Héngyáng stands where rivers meet in southern Húnán. On Shígǔ Mountain north of the old city, a scholar’s reading retreat grew into Shígǔ Academy. In the Sòng it received imperial recognition and land, joining the celebrated academies of the age. Scholars including Zhū Xī and Zhāng Shì later taught there, making the riverside hill a centre of learning.