The Dacheng Hall in Changxing

The Dacheng Hall in Changxing

The Dacheng Hall in Changxing is a cultural relic protection unit of Changxing County.

The Dacheng Hall is located within today's Changxing High School. Originally known as the Confucius Temple, it was also called the Academy, the County School, or the Temple School. The Confucius Temple was first built in the fourth year of the Qingli era during the Northern Song Dynasty (1044), and its original site was outside the east gate of the county town. It was burned down by Jin troops during the Jianyan period. In the tenth year of the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1140), County Magistrate Huang Wei relocated the county seat to Dong Taiping Bridge. In the ninth year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1530), due to the County School being situated in the eastern corner and being in poor condition, it was moved to the west of the county seat and north of the Ruoxi River (also known as the Nianzi River)—the current location. The project was completed during the Jiajing era, and expansions were carried out during the Longqing and Wanli eras. The existing structures include the Dacheng Hall, the Minglun Hall, and the Western Side Hall. The Dacheng Hall is the main single structure in the temple complex and serves as the site for worshipping Confucius, hence it is also called the Confucius Saint Hall. It was rebuilt in the ninth year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1744) and features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof structure. Originally, there were corridors around it, but during the early Republican period when Zhongshan Park was constructed, the corridors were enclosed within the hall. The existing doors and windows were also installed during the Republican era. In front of the hall is a set of steps with five landings. The roof is covered with clay ridges and tiles, and the front side of the ridge is inscribed with the eight large characters “峻极于天” (Lofty to the Heavens), while the back side reads “文光射斗” (Literary Light Pierces the Dipper). In 1963 and 1980, the People’s Government of Changxing County allocated funds twice for its renovation.

The Minglun Hall was built in the ninth year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1530) and has undergone subsequent maintenance. It is a brick-and-timber structure with a flush gable roof, consisting of three bays—main, secondary, and tertiary. The Western Side Hall is also a brick-and-timber structure with a flush gable roof, featuring nine bays—main, secondary, and corner.

The Confucius Temple also preserves over ten stone steles, including the “Confucius Praise Stele” inscribed by Chen Fengwu in the fourth year of the Jiajing era (1525), the “Imperial Edict Stele” and the “Imperial Record on Rectifying the Confucius Worship Ceremony Stele,” both from the ninth year of the Jiajing era (1530), the “Imperial Record on Further Rectifying the Confucius Worship Ceremony Stele” from the same year, the “Record of the New Establishment of the County School Land in Changxing” stele written by Yao Yiyuan and inscribed by Xu Zhongxing with a title by Zang Jifang in the thirty-eighth year of the Jiajing era (1559), the “Record of the New Renovation of the Confucian School in Changxing” stele written by Xu Zhongxing and inscribed by Zang Maoxun in the sixth year of the Longqing era (1572), the “Record of the Renovation of the Confucian School in Changxing” stele written by --Jian in the twenty-fourth year of the Wanli era (1596), with a title by Feng Wei and inscription by Qian Zhongwei, and the “Record of the Confucian School in Changxing” stele written by County Magistrate Fang Bo in the thirty-second year of the Qianlong era (1767). These have now been moved to the County Museum. In 1983, the Dacheng Hall and Minglun Hall were listed as county-level cultural relic protection units.

Source: Huzhou Municipal People’s Government