Yuelu Mountain · Yuelu Academy

Yuelu Academy was founded in 976 (the ninth year of the Kaibao era of the Northern Song) and is the only one of China's four great academies that has continued teaching to this day, with a thousand years of unbroken scholarship. Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi once held their famous joint lectures here, drawing packed audiences, and the gate couplet "Only Chu has talent, and here it flourishes" captures the depth of Hunan's scholarly tradition. The lecture hall, the Imperial Book Tower, and the Confucian temple unfold along the central axis; the study quarters and gardens are well preserved, and the Chinese Academy Museum on the grounds systematically presents a thousand years of academy culture. Aiwan Pavilion halfway up the mountain takes its name from the sentiment of Du Mu's line "I stop my carriage, charmed by the maple woods at dusk", ranks among the famed pavilions of Jiangnan, and is covered by red maples in autumn; the Sui-era Sarira Pagoda and White Crane Spring lie scattered among the trees, and the summit offers the most sweeping views over Changsha and the Xiang River.

Getting there: Metro Line 4, Hunan University Station