As a physical educational institution, ancient Chinese academies have existed in history for thousands of years, like medieval universities in Europe, with its spiritual source as well as "highlight period" of development. However, in the revolutionary tides of modern era, they had different destinies: one to extinction, the other to revival. Thinking deeply and comparing the different historical destinies, we have found at least two main reasons: first, the increasingly utilitarian and narrow schools in knowledge production and development of the world, with the lack of the new knowledge in different disciplines due to the dominant role of humanities and the limited functions of education; second, lack of basic external system guarantee for ancient Chinese academies in the long-term autocratic imperial living environment and historical conditions, which cannot realize the freedom of thought and teaching, or provide a secure life.

Ancient Chinese academies;Medieval universities;Development and evolution;Historical limitations;Lack of institutional guarantee

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2022 Annual Project of Jiangsu Universities Philosophy and Social Sciences Research(Project's number: 2022SJYB0065). 2017 Annual Project of Jiangxi Educational Science: " the 13th Five-year Plan" “Research on the interaction between government support and university development” (Project's number: 17YB105).

DOI： https://doi.org/10.62639/sspjiss18.20240105

Published： 2024