Hanlin Academy
The Hanlin Academy (翰林院) was an elite academic institution and think tank[1] that operated in China from the Tang dynasty to the end of the imperial period.[2] Founded in 708 by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, it was originally located in Chang'an but had been moved to the Qing capital of Beijing by 1900, when it was almost completely burned down in the midst of the Boxer Rebellion. It was finally shutdown in 1911 with the overthrow of the Qing and inauguration of the Republic of China.[2]
Despite being an establishment for higher learning, its scholars were typically commissioned for administrative functions by the Tang rulers to circumvent the official bureaucracy. They composed literary works under their direction, drafted imperial edicts, and even advised on governmental policy.[1]
In 742, Li Bai, one of the Tang period's most acclaimed poets, was honoured by Emperor Xuanzong with a position at the academy. There, he was chiefly responsible for composing poems for the imperial family and entertaining at social events, but his post was derided as a sinecure by some of his colleagues. Eventually, his employment was terminated due to defamation by the chief eunuch Gao Lishi and Yang Guifei, Emperor Xuanzong's favourite concubine.[3]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Dynasty (mentioned only)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lewis, Mark Edward. (2009). "From Foundation to Rebellion". China's Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, pp. 30–57.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
Hanlin Academy on Wikipedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Flower Banquet (Special)