Qiao Ding

Qiao Ding, a master of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty, studied under Cheng Yi and became a disciple of Zhu Xi. He founded the Fuling School, which integrated Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. He went through many hardships throughout his life, protected and passed down Yi Studies, and persisted in academics in troubled times. After the collapse of the Northern Song Dynasty and the war in the Southern Song Dynasty, he became an invisible bridge between Cheng and Zhu Neo-Confucianism. He combined the study of Yi Studies with the cultivation of mind and heart, and became the spiritual landmark of Bashu Neo-Confucianism.