LURE OF THE SUPREME JOY: PEDAGOGY AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEO‐CONFUCIAN ACADEMIES OF ZHU XI. By XinConan‐Wu. Sinica Leidensia, 164. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2024. Pp. xxxviii+275. Hardback, €125.00.

This book provides an intricate exploration of the educational philosophy and practices of Zhū Xī (1130–1200), one of the most influential Neo-Confucian scholars in Chinese history. The study is anchored by the central question of how Zhū Xī structured his pedagogical practices within specific academy environments, notably the White-Deer Grotto Academy (白鹿洞書院), Yuèlù Academy (岳麓書院), and Wǔyí Retreat (武夷精舍), to foster students’ self-cultivation. Employing an interdisciplinary methodology that incorporates archeological, genealogical, and phenomenological approaches, Conan-Wu situates Zhū Xī's pedagogy within the evolution of Chinese visual and spatial culture. The archeological perspective examines how visuality and spatiality informed Zhū Xī's pedagogy through a Neo-Confucian inquiry into visual and spatial experiences, while the genealogical approach traces the continuity and adaptation of Zhū Xī's principles in later contexts, particularly in the academies of Chosŏn Korea and Qīng-era China. The book is divided into three main parts, beginning with a prologue that contextualizes Zhū Xī's pedagogy within the sociopolitical challenges of the Southern Sòng dynasty. Part 1 focuses on visuality, emphasizing how “seeing” (jiàn 見) was an educational practice that contributed to students’ self-cultivation. The first chapter outlines the history of Chinese literati visuality before Neo-Confucianism, while the second examines its role in Zhū Xī's epistemology, emphasizing a shift in the ontological status of the gaze from metaphysical to cognitive. Part 2 addresses spatiality at the academy, detailing how Zhū Xī's spatial arrangements were vital to his educational aims. Chapter 3 traces the historical development of Chinese spatiality, contrasting hierarchical classical patterns and Buddhist emptiness with the “Eight Views of Xiāoxiāng (潇湘八景),” which fostered a sense of local identity at Yuèlù Academy. Chapter 4 focuses on a landscape tour undertaken by Zhū Xī and Zhnd Shh 張栻 (1133–1181) in 1167, illustrating how their experiences inspired a new spatiality. Part 3 delves into the art of place-making within the academies, with Chapter 5 highlighting how environments like the White-Deer Grotto and Yuèlù Academies served as integral elements of Zhū Xī's teaching. Chapter 6 discusses Zhū Xī's transformation of his Wǔyí compound into an ideal Confucian retreat in pursuit of supreme joy. After Zhū Xī's death, dedicated followers in Chosŏn Korea revived his art of place-making but failed to restore his natural pedagogy. Chapter 7 returns to Yuèlù Academy and the revival of Zhū Xī's legacy by his followers in late Míng and early Qīng China. In conclusion, Conan-Wu reconstructs Zhū Xī's natural pedagogy, emphasizing the central role of emotion in his educational practices, which has had lasting consequences for changes in Chinese cultural sensibility. Overall, this work is essential for scholars interested in Confucian thought, Chinese cultural history, and educational practices.