Not long after Zhu engaged in a famous debate with philosopher Lu Xiangshan, he invited Lu to be an instructor at Bailudong. "This was a dramatic turn-that Zhu Xi would open wide the doors of Bailudong and invite a teacher who had diametrically opposed views on education. Zhu's overall ideas on pedagogy and school management-reflected in his willingness to expose students to different philosophies-drove the great debates over education in the Ming dynasty.
就在他與同時代理學家陸象山進行過歷史上知名的一場哲學辯論，也就是「鵝湖之會」不久，他就邀請陸象山至白鹿洞書院講學，「朱子開放白鹿洞書院之門，以延請一位與他學旨相反的主講者，這種激烈轉變，必然地導致明代講學辯論之風。