Jiading Confucius Temple

Jiading Confucius Temple

Jiading Confucius Temple is a National AAA-level Tourist Attraction and a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Ming to Qing

Address: South of Fahua Pagoda in central Jiading, Shanghai, No. 183 South Street,

Also known as the Academy, it is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Originally built in the 12th year of the Jiading era of the Song Dynasty (1219 AD), it was “magnificently designed, surpassing others in the region,” and was hailed as the finest in the Wu region. Before liberation, the Confucius Temple suffered greatly from war. After the founding of New China, the Shanghai Cultural Relics Management Committee allocated funds twice for renovation, restoring it to its former appearance. Although only 60–70% of the original structures remain, it is still one of the more intact Confucius Temples in China today and is known as the finest in the Wu region.

The Jiading Confucius Temple was first built in the 12th year of the Jiading era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1219). Over 700 years, it has undergone over 70 renovations, reconstructions, and expansions. It now covers an area of 17 mu, with the temple complex including: one Grand Hall with five bays, featuring a front terrace; twelve bays each for the east and west side halls; three Grand Gate buildings with five bays; one bay for each of the east and west corner gates; one pool and three stone bridges; three Lingxing Gates; one stone memorial archway each for “Pursuit of Excellence,” “Promotion of Virtue,” and “Nurturing Talent”; stone railings connecting the archways spanning over 10 meters, with 72 stone lions atop the railing pillars; three bays for the Eminent Officials Shrine; one bay for the Earth God Shrine; three bays for the Ritual Gate; three bays for the Local Sages Shrine; and one bay for the Loyalty and Filial Piety Shrine. The educational section includes: one five-bay Minglun Hall and three-bay front porch; and three bays for the Ritual Gate.

The architectural scale of the Confucius Temple was not large at first, consisting only of the main hall and Huacheng Hall. In the 9th year of the Chunyou era (1249 AD), three memorial archways — “Pursuit of Excellence,” “Promotion of Virtue,” and “Nurturing Talent” — were built in front of the main hall, along with the pool and stone bridge gate. Fourteen years later, the main hall was rebuilt and named the Grand Hall. By the Yuan Dynasty, Huacheng Hall was reconstructed into the Minglun Hall.

Jiading Confucius Temple now houses the China Imperial Examination Museum, which features five exhibition halls introducing the history of the imperial examination system, the entire examination process, and many examination papers of top scholars. The temple introduces many scholars who gained fame through the exams, covering nearly all notable figures since the Sui and Tang dynasties, and contains many precious historical materials. It also features stories of many scholars who passed the local and provincial exams, along with paintings, books, and examination papers.

Address: No. 183 South Street, Jiading District, Shanghai

Type: Museum, Historical Building, Temple

Recommended Visiting Time: 1–2 hours

Phone: 021-59530379

Opening Hours:

8:30-16:30

Ticket Information:

Free admission.

Confucius (551–479 BC), surname Qiu, courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi, Changping, State of Lu (present-day southeastern Qufu, Shandong). 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. He also had a profound impact worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia, and is recognized as a world cultural figure.

Confucius’s ancestors were Weizi Qi, the half-brother of King Zhou of Shang during the late Yin dynasty. Qi upheld the Shang rituals and was enfeoffed in Song. His sixth-generation ancestor, Kong Fu Jia, was the first to adopt the surname Kong. His fifth-generation ancestor, Mu Jin Fu, fled to Lu to escape turmoil and later settled in Zou, State of Lu... More detailed information on Confucius++

Jiading Town Subdistrict: Before the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, an ancient coastline formed at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and human activity existed along Lianqi River (now the area around West Gate Old Street). By the Liang Dynasty’s Tianjian era (502–519), a settlement had formed. During the Tang Dynasty, the ancient town of Jiading was named Lianqi Market after the river. On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month in the tenth year of the Jiading era of the Southern Song Dynasty (January 7, 1218), the county seat was established and named Jiading after the era name, a name that has continued to this day. In September 2000, Jiading Town was restructured into Jiading Town Subdistrict.

Jiading Town was listed as one of Shanghai’s four major historical and cultural towns by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government in 1991. Known for its rich cultural heritage... More detailed information on Jiading Town Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units