Chongjiao Temple in Gaizhou

Chongjiao Temple in Gaizhou

Chongjiao Temple in Gaizhou is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

Chongjiao Temple is located south of Hongqi Avenue in Yonghe Community, Gulou Subdistrict Office, Gaizhou City, within the compound of the Gaizhou Cultural Center. The temple was first built in the 16th year of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty (1383), and has a history of over 600 years.

The original temple was built outside the west gate of Gaizhou City. When it was rebuilt in the 11th year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1672), it was moved to the south side opposite Shangdi Temple. The existing structures date back more than 300 years. In the early years of the Republic of China, the Gaiping Chamber of Commerce was housed in the east and west wing rooms inside the temple courtyard, and a silver-engraved stele erected by the chamber remains behind the main hall to this day.

Commonly known as the Confucius Temple, Chongjiao Temple faces south and features a three-courtyard layout. Its main entrance is situated on the old Yinshi Street. The buildings in the courtyard are arranged from north to south, including the Chong? Shrine, Dacheng Hall, east and west side halls, Dacheng Gate, east and west memorial archways, and a screen wall. Among these, the Dacheng Hall is five bays wide and four bays deep, measuring 18.3 meters in length and 9.92 meters in width. The Dacheng Gate is three bays wide and three bays deep, measuring 10.7 meters in length and 8.8 meters in width. The Dacheng Hall is a flush-gable roof structure with a large wooden frame. Its roof is covered with blue tiles and features a five-ridged design, with finely carved patterns on the main ridge and the gable eaves. Due to the passage of time, the mythical beast heads at the ends of the main ridge and the ridge-end ornaments on the sloping ridges have long been lost. Currently, only the Dacheng Hall, Dacheng Gate, and east side hall remain in the courtyard. The original stone stelae and other artifacts from the temple are buried underground. A fragment of a Ming Dynasty stele inscribed with calligraphy praising Confucian teachings was unearthed in the area.

During the Ming Dynasty, Gaizhou Wei was a strategic stronghold on the Liaodong Peninsula and a contested military site throughout history, where several battles took place. The Ming court valued this historic town and thus established temples here in the early years of the dynasty to worship the heavens, honor the gods, pray for blessings, and promote moral teachings. Gaizhou has long had a tradition of valuing Confucian scholarship and upholding moral virtue, and the establishment of Chongjiao Temple served as an ideal gathering place for scholars and literati to discuss and promote Confucian ideals.

In 2014, the People's Government of Liaoning Province (Liaozheng Fa [2014] No. 27) designated Chongjiao Temple as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Source: Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, News, and Broadcasting; Contributor: Dong Wenjie

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Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Shanxi Province