Hangzhou Confucius Temple Stele Forest

Hangzhou Confucius Temple Stele Forest

The Hangzhou Confucius Temple Stele Forest is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Hangzhou Confucius Temple houses over 500 stone tablets, rubbings, and epitaphs, showcasing engraved works by master calligraphers from five dynasties from the Five Dynasties period to the Qing Dynasty. The most numerous are the "Stone Classics of the Southern Song Imperial College," of which 86 fragments remain. Among the collection are the Stone Classics of the Southern Song and the celestial charts unearthed from the tombs of the Wu-Yue royal family of the Five Dynasties—rare and precious cultural relics.

This area was originally the site of the Lin'an Prefectural School of the Southern Song Dynasty, established in the first year of the Shaoxing era (1131). After that, apart from being rebuilt following fires or expanded in scale, it remained Hangzhou’s official educational institution until the abolition of the imperial examination system in the 31st year of the Guangxu era (1905).

On October 7, 2019, the Hangzhou Confucius Temple Stele Forest was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units