Xingcheng Confucius Temple

Xingcheng Confucius Temple

Xingcheng Confucius Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

Xingcheng Confucius Temple, also known as the Temple of Confucius, was a place for worshipping Confucius in ancient times. It is located in the southeast corner of the ancient city of Xingcheng. Originally built in the fifth year of the Xuande era of the Ming Dynasty (1430), it covers an area of 16,800 square meters, making it the oldest Confucian temple in China’s three northeastern provinces and the largest in Liaoning Province. The temple is divided into inner and outer courtyards. The inner courtyard includes architectural structures such as the Lingxing Gate, Pan Bridge, Ji Gate, Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Shrine, Sacrificial Instrument Storage, Changing Pavilion, Local Sages Shrine, and Eminent Officials Shrine. The outer courtyard is mainly landscaped. In 1984, it was listed as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province. In May 2006, it was designated as a national key cultural relic protection unit.

Confucius (551–479 BCE), whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi, Changping (present-day southeastern Qufu, Shandong Province). He was a thinker, educator, and statesman in the late Spring and Autumn period, the founder of Confucianism, and one of the most influential figures in Chinese history and culture. His impact extends globally, especially across Southeast Asia, making him one of the world’s cultural icons.

Confucius’s ancestors were the younger half-brother of King Zhou of Shang, Weizi Qi, who upheld the Shang lineage and was enfeoffed in the State of Song. His sixth-generation ancestor, Kong Fu Jia, was the first to adopt the surname Kong. His fifth-generation ancestor, Shuliang He, fled to the State of Lu to escape turmoil and later settled in Zou, Lu... More details about Confucius ++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Liaoning Province