The Study Of The Jingyan In The Ming Hongzhi Dynasty

Ming dynasty since the Jingyan became a formal system during the reign of the Zhengtong years,it has become increasingly formalized.The ministers had high expectations of the Hongzhi dynasty because of the diligence and respect for the lecturers when Emperor Xiaozong Zhu Youzhi came to the court to lecture.The first four years of the reign of Emperor xiaozong,the Jingyan was held in good condition,although there is not frequent enough lectures,the lack of interaction between the ruler and ministers and other shortcomings,but the ministers were basically satisfied.Hongzhi four years later,the Jingyan is increasingly formal,specifically: the Jingyan of summer and cold temporarily exempted from the practice;Xiaozong often absent from the Jingyan;into the lecture when the ruler and minister interaction is not enough,into the lecture content is vague,held poor results.In the face of Emperor Xiaozong’s increasing neglect of government and aversion to learning,the ministers continued to submit petitions to advise learning.They believed that it was the lack of lectures at the Jingyan that caused heresy to confuse the king’s mind.In order to improve the attractiveness of the Jingyan,the ministers made many suggestions.Such as adjusting the scripture Jingyan books,pay attention to the day lecture,into the lecture content and current affairs,etc.,but these proposals basically did not get the approval of Emperor xiaozong.The main reason why the Jingyan gradually became a formality during the Hongzhi period was that the only thing that kept the Jingyan going was the interest of the emperor and the pressure of the ministers.The Jingyan paid too much attention to rituals and educational efficacy,which was gradually disliked by the emperor.Xiaozong himself was interested in sutra and history,but not as much as he was interested in jiao and alchemy.Although Xiaozong had a good relationship with the lecturers,he would not frequent the Jingyan for this reason.In Xiaozong gradually lost interest in the Jingyan,the ministers of public opinion pressure to maintain the Hongzhi dynasty held the Jingyan.The ministers continued to make statements about the study and linked the Jingyan to the monarch’s virtue and attitude toward political affairs.Xiaozong cherished his reputation,so although he neglected his studies for a long time,he did not stop the lectures and daily lectures at the same time.Compared with the practice of later monarchs who did not give the Jingyan for several years,Xiaozong’s behavior of not abandoning school became the benchmark of the Ming dynasty monarchs to study,and the Hongzhi dynasty’s Jingyan into the lecture was thus glorified by historians.