On January 12, in memory of the 880th birthday of Master Nanxuan---Zhang Shi, one of the founders of Huxiang Culture, a statue named "Zhang Shi in Thought" was unveiled at the Yuelu Academy in Changsha. Attendees bowed to the statue, blessing the boom of Huxiang Culture, the prosperity of the Yuelu Academy and the perpetuation of the wisdom of Zhang Shi and his father Zhang Jun.
With a scroll in right hand, a sword in left hand and bright eyes gazing into the distance, the statue of the great master looks very dignified and magnificent.
Zhang Shi (1133-1180), son of a renowned minister Zhang Jun in the Zhongxing Period of Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), was a famous philosopher and educator. He epitomized the Huxiang Culture in his book Nanxuan Anthology, and was reputed as one of the three great minds in southeast China at that time, besides Zhu Xi and Lv Zuqian.
