Hangzhou Confucius Temple

Hangzhou Confucius Temple

Hangzhou Confucius Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

Hangzhou Confucius Temple (Forest of Stone Steles) was originally the site of the Lin’an Prefectural School during the Southern Song Dynasty. It was first built in the first year of the Shaoxing era (1131) under Emperor Gaozong of Song. Apart from being rebuilt after fires or expanded in scale, the school remained an official educational institution in Hangzhou until the abolition of the imperial examination system in the 31st year of the Guangxu era (1905). The current site is located at No. 57 Laodong Road, Shangcheng District, at the foot of Wu Hill on the southeastern side of West Lake, covering an area of approximately 4,400 square meters with a total floor space of about 1,500 square meters. The architectural layout is neat and majestic, featuring an elegant and classic style. The temple houses over 500 stone steles of various kinds from the Tang to the Qing dynasties, including imperial calligraphy, local historical records, master calligraphers’ model works, portraits of historical figures, astronomical star charts, and inscriptions related to water conservancy. Among them, the most renowned are Emperor Gaozong of Song’s “Southern Song Stone Classics,” Guanxiu’s “Stone Carvings of the Sixteen Arhats,” Li Gonglin’s “Stone Carvings of Confucius and His Seventy-Two Disciples,” and the “Five Dynasties Stone Star Chart” from the Five Dynasties period. In addition, there are carved stones bearing the calligraphy of famous historical figures such as Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Su Dongpo, Mi Fu, and Zhu Yunming, as well as imperial steles from the Southern Song and Qing dynasties. Notably, a collection of historical steles documents events related to water management, seawall construction, and salt transport in Hangzhou and surrounding towns, providing valuable material for studying Hangzhou’s water conservancy and economic development. Hence, the site is hailed as a “stone library” that integrates history, science, and art.