Nantong Confucius Temple

Nantong Confucius Temple

Nantong Confucius Temple is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

Nantong Confucius Temple is located at No. 14, Renmin Middle Road, Nantong city proper, Jiangsu Province. Originally built in the fifth year of the Taiping Xingguo era during the early Song Dynasty, it has a history of 1,030 years. As an important site for Confucian worship and scholarly exchange, the temple showcases the profound cultural heritage of Nantong as a renowned historical and cultural city.

The only remaining structure of the Nantong Confucius Temple today is the Dacheng Hall, which features a Ming Dynasty structure. It is a double-eaved, nine-ridged hip-and-gable roof building with a width of five bays and a depth of three bays. The interior employs a post-and-lintel construction method, supported by a grid of 36 pillars. The column capitals feature rolled edges, resting on pier-shaped plinths. The painted beams date from the Qing Dynasty restoration. In front of the hall lies a moon terrace surrounded by stone railings, connected to the main hall. Beneath the terrace stand three robust, lush ancient ginkgo trees. On the eastern wall of the courtyard, a stele corridor was newly established in 1981, housing 20 stone tablets originally placed in structures such as the Minglun Hall. The earliest tablet dates back to the 15th year of the Hongwu era in the Ming Dynasty (1382), and the latest to the 4th year of the Daoguang era in the Qing Dynasty (1824). In June 1983, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage site of Nantong.

Historically, Nantong Confucius Temple underwent over 20 renovations and expansions, with the most recent in modern times dating back to the 1980s. Due to long-term neglect, the roof of the Dacheng Hall had suffered severe damage, with uneven eaves, warped and deformed double layers, signs of water leakage, and cracked and alkali-efflorescent wall surfaces. Urgent repair and preservation efforts were needed. To better protect this valuable historical relic and restore its former grandeur, the Nantong Cultural Center carried out a color painting protection project in 2008 and officially launched the structural renovation project of the Dacheng Hall in March 2010. The restoration adhered to the principle of “repairing the old as it was,” using scientific methods to carry out protective maintenance and restore its original historical appearance.

On December 19, 2011, the People’s Government of Jiangsu Province designated it as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural heritage sites.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites