The Song Dynasty School-owned Land System

School-owned lands were a system which meant using its land tax to run schools and support learned persons. There were some methods for school to get lands, mainly containing the royal's grants, the local government's purchases, the populace's donations. After schools got those lands, they would rent out them in style of landlord. School-owned lands originated from Jiangzhou Dongjia academy in the first year of Liezong Shenyuan in Southern Tang.There were differences between official school-owned lands and academy-owned lands. Official school-owned lands appeared first formally during the first year of Zhenzong Qianxing, took shape in Renzong, and developed in Shenzong and Huizong. At the third year of Song Huizong Daguan, the total of school-owned lands reached 105,990 Qing. During Southern Song Dynasty, the number was larger than Northern Song Dynasty. Academy school-owned lands developed quickly under the support of the Neo-Confucianists. The policy about respecting the scholar and the school education's prospect, were the reasons of school-owned lands prosperity in Song Dynasty.The royal's grants, the local government's purchases, the populace's donations and school's purchases were the approaches of getting school-owned lands. The royal's grants, the local government's allotment and purchases were the main gateways of official school-owned lands. However, the populace's donations and school's purchases were the main gateways of academy-owned lands.School-owned lands formed a set of comparatively complete management system in Song Dynasty. On management system, School-owned lands administration divided into purchasing right and the power of operation. The power of operation also had two kinds' concrete forms, one being from direct administration of royal or imperial government, seen mainly in official school-owned lands and, the other being from school administration, mainly in some school of being contributed by personal friend or relatives. On mode of business operation, they adopted to rent out land to tenants in the quota form, including money rent and goods rent, which the latter was the leading part. On managing measure, Song Ting took some measures to prevent the local infringement by the bully. Recording the school-owned lands, making pamphlets, building steles, being strict with the system were the measures.The school-owned lands system's establishment brought positive effects. One side established the solid material base for school's initiating and development, the other side promoted talented for feudal society's cultivation and choice. It greatly driven Song Dynasty's culture and education, and at the same time made the school-owned lands system better. The formation of the school-owned lands system established the fundamental formation of educational funds. It produced long-tern effects to Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty。...