Research On The Education Of The Northern Song Emperor

Focusing on the education of emperors in ancient China can help us explore the governance logic of ancient Chinese politics from the perspective of "emperor education".Due to the maturity of ancient Chinese imperial education during the Northern Song Dynasty,this article focuses on the theme of "Northern Song Emperor Education" as a sample and object for studying ancient Chinese imperial education.As for the research purpose,this article is based on the text of Fan Zuyu’s "Emperor Learning" and the perspective of classical political philosophy to study the education of Northern Song emperors.It is committed to systematically explaining the education of Northern Song emperors from the aspects of reasons,methods,objectives,and content,and then answering the two basic questions of "why emperors become learners" and "how to educate emperors".Political life aims to pursue a legitimate or good political order.The education of emperors in ancient China was a practical way for political participants under historical circumstances to strive to achieve what they believed was a beautiful political life;The governance strategy and political culture of advocating literature and suppressing martial arts in the Northern Song Dynasty were the practical foundation for the formation of imperial education in the Northern Song Dynasty,reflecting the arrangements of the founding emperor for a better political order.In addition,the Confucian literati in the Northern Song Dynasty pursued the cultivation of emperors with "inner sages and outer kings" and guided political life through this,which was the main reason for the formation of imperial education in the Northern Song Dynasty;As a way of educating emperors in the Northern Song Dynasty,"Jingyan" originated from Emperor Taizong and matured during the reign of Emperor Renzong."Jingyan" was an institutionalized imperial education activity,and the education of emperors in the Northern Song Dynasty matured due to its institutionalization;The purpose of education for the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty was to "learn to govern the world",that is,to teach the emperor the universal principle of "Yao and Shun’s Way",which is considered a legitimate or good political order,through educational activities,in order to achieve "Yao and Shun’s rule".Among them,the pursuit of "Yao and Shun’s rule" also reflects the expectations of political participants in the Northern Song Dynasty for their perceived good political order and the "best political system";"The content of imperial education" in the Northern Song Dynasty is the "Dao of Yao and Shun",which is considered to be knowledge about the nature of political things and reflects the characteristics of "politics".In addition,"the content of imperial education" is called "daxue",and its content can be summarized and reflected in the four major aspects of "Confucianism","history","precepts",and "virtue",which is a specific manifestation of the path of self-cultivation and learning in " daxue ".Through studying the education of the Northern Song emperors,this article draws inspiration from the following: emphasizing virtue and adhering to the rule of virtue;Emphasizing tradition and inheriting the excellent traditional political culture of China;Emphasize classical wisdom.