Beijing Confucius Temple

Beijing Confucius Temple

Beijing Confucius Temple is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a key cultural relic protection unit in China, and a patriotic education base.

A site for worshipping Confucius during China’s Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Located on Guozijian Street in Dongcheng District, Beijing.

Beijing Confucius Temple (19 photos) Built in the 6th year of the Yuandade era (1302) and completed in the 10th year. Reconstructed in the 9th year of the Ming Yongle era (1411). The main hall was renovated during the Xuande, Jiajing, and Wanli eras, with the Chongsheng Shrine added. Further repairs were made during the Qing Shunzhi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong eras. In the 32nd year of the Guangxu era (1906), the worship of Confucius was elevated to the highest level, and the main hall was expanded. Although the temple has been renovated through various dynasties, its structure largely retains the Yuan Dynasty style. The courtyard inside the gate consists of three sections, with buildings along the central axis arranged from south to north as follows: Dacheng Gate, Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Gate, and Chongsheng Shrine. There are 198 stone tablets inscribed with the names of successful imperial examination candidates from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, serving as important historical documents for studying China’s ancient imperial examination system. The Confucius Temple has been open to the public since 1928 for sightseeing. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it was listed as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit and later became the Capital Museum.

A key cultural relic protection unit in China. Located on Guozijian Street in Dongcheng District, Beijing. Covers an area of 22,000 square meters. Renovated multiple times throughout history, it served as a Confucius worship site for the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, also known as the "Temple of the First Teacher." The temple faces south and features a main gate called the First Teachers’ Gate, which still retains the Yuan Dynasty style. In front are a glazed wall and a dismounting stele. To the east and west inside the gate are stele pavilions, divine kitchens, divine storehouses, and 118 stone tablets inscribed with the names of over 50,000 successful imperial examination candidates from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Passing through the Dacheng Gate into the second courtyard, the main hall is called Dacheng Hall, the principal building of the Confucius Temple. It has nine bays in width and five in depth, with a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered in yellow glazed tiles. The front terrace has three flights of steps, and the hall enshrines Confucius along with the "Four Companions" and "Twelve Philosophers." There is a 600-year-old cypress tree in front of the hall, known as the "Exorcising Cypress" or "Touching Cypress." There is also an ancient well named "Inkstone Lake" by Emperor Qianlong. Behind Dacheng Hall lies the Chongsheng Shrine, which forms its own courtyard and is dedicated to worshipping Confucius’ ancestors. It now houses the Capital Museum, exhibiting precious cultural relics unearthed in the Beijing area.

Inside Beijing’s Andingmen Gate lies Guozijian Street, also known as Chengxian Street. This street features four authentic Qing Dynasty single-story painted wooden archways, making it the Beijing street with the most and best-preserved archways. Rows of locust trees line the street, offering dense shade and the fragrance of locust blossoms. Beijing Confucius Temple is located at the eastern end of this street.

Long history: Over 700 years

The Confucius Temple is a shrine dedicated to Confucius, the renowned thinker, educator, and global cultural figure. With a long and storied history, Beijing Confucius Temple was first built in the 6th year of the Yuandade era (1302 AD) and completed in the 10th year (1306 AD), initially taking shape. The Chongsheng Shrine was added in the 9th year of the Ming Jiajing era (1530 AD) to enshrine Confucius’ five generations of ancestors. In the 32nd year of the Qing Guangxu era (1906 AD), Dacheng Hall was expanded, establishing the temple’s current scale. The entire complex is divided into three courtyards, covering approximately 22,000 square meters, and follows the traditional Chinese architectural layout with the main structures aligned along the central axis and symmetrical on both sides. Over these 700 years, it became a sacred site where rulers of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties honored Confucius, promoted Confucian teachings, and encouraged cultural development. It also served as a revered place for scholars aspiring to success. This group of royal ancient buildings, even older than the Forbidden City, encapsulates the essence of a thousand years of Confucian culture and preserves the legacy of centuries of imperial examinations. Strolling through the Confucius Temple, surrounded by towering ancient cypresses, stone tablets, and grand foundations, one can escape the noise of the city, touch the pulse of history and culture, and appreciate the profound richness of traditional Chinese culture with a serene and detached heart—truly a refined experience.

Architectural splendor: Showcasing imperial grandeur

The main structures of Beijing Confucius Temple are covered with yellow glazed tiles, the highest architectural standard in feudal society. The entire temple complex features a scientifically designed layout, grand scale, and imperial magnificence.

The First Teachers’ Gate (also called the Lingxing Gate) is the main entrance to the Confucius Temple. It has three bays in width and seven rafters in depth, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, largely retaining the Yuan Dynasty architectural style. The gate connects to the outer walls of the temple complex, resembling a city gate. Upon entering the First Teachers’ Gate, you are greeted by the Dacheng Gate. Originally built in the Yuan Dynasty and renovated in the Qing Dynasty, the Dacheng Gate has five bays in width and nine rafters in depth, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The entire structure sits atop a high brick and stone platform, with a raised central path stone featuring a high-relief carving of a dragon among sea waves playing with a pearl, vividly depicted. On both sides of the front porch of the Dacheng Gate stand ten stone drums, each engraved with an ancient hunting poem. These were replicated during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty based on the remnants of stone drums from the 8th century BC Zhou Xuanwang period. The barely legible inscriptions and profound poetry are likely fully understood only by the learned Confucius himself. The first courtyard served as the preparation area for emperors before worshipping Confucius, with facilities on the east side such as the animal-slaughtering pavilion, well pavilion, and divine kitchen for preparing the sacrificial animals. On both sides are divine storehouses and fasting rooms for storing ritual utensils and preparing offerings.

The second courtyard is the central area of the Confucius Temple, where ceremonies were accompanied by the ringing of bells and drums, music, dancing, and solemn processions. Dacheng Hall, the main structure of this courtyard and the centerpiece of the entire temple, is the most sacred hall. Originally built in the 6th year of the Yuandade era (1302 AD), it was later destroyed in war and rebuilt in the 9th year of the Ming Yongle era (1411 AD). In the 32nd year of the Qing Guangxu era (1906 AD), it was expanded from seven to nine bays. The hall is paved with golden bricks, and its ceiling features a coffered design with dragon motifs, representing the highest architectural standard of China’s feudal society, comparable to the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. The hall enshrines the wooden plaque of Confucius as the “Great Achiever, Sage, and Literary Emperor,” flanked by plaques of the “Four Companions” and “Twelve Philosophers.” In front of the shrine are ritual vessels such as zun, jue, you, bian, and dou, all genuine artifacts from the Qianlong era. The interior and exterior of the hall hang imperial plaques bestowed by nine emperors from Kangxi to Xuantong, each inscribed with a four-character praise for Confucius, serving as valuable cultural relics.

The third courtyard of the Confucius Temple is the most distinctive, consisting of the Chongsheng Gate, Chongsheng Hall, and side halls forming an independent and complete courtyard. It is distinctly separated yet naturally transitions from the first two courtyards, reflecting the ingenious architectural planning of ancient builders. This complex is called the Chongsheng Shrine, a family temple dedicated to worshipping Confucius’ five generations of ancestors. Built in the 9th year of the Ming Jiajing era (1530 AD) and renovated in the 2nd year of the Qing Qianlong era (1737 AD), its gray-tiled roof was replaced with green glazed tiles. Chongsheng Hall, also known as the Five Generations Shrine, has five bays in width and seven rafters in depth. Its front terrace is spacious, with ten steps on each of its three sides. The hall enshrines plaques of Confucius’ five generations of ancestors and those of his esteemed disciples such as Yan Hui, Zengzi, Zigong, and Zixia. In the main courtyard, there is a well platform surrounded by corridors, with steps leading up to it. The platform is shaded by ancient cypresses, creating a serene atmosphere.

The three courtyards and their structures have clear hierarchical distinctions and functional divisions, harmoniously forming a complete set of imperial ceremonial buildings. They represent outstanding examples of ancient Chinese architecture.

Valuable historical records: Numerous notable steles

With over 700 years of historical and cultural accumulation, the Confucius Temple has preserved invaluable relics that serve as crucial historical materials and artifacts for studying China’s ancient imperial examinations and Confucian teachings.

In the first courtyard of the Confucius Temple, 198 tall steles inscribed with the names of successful imperial examination candidates are erected in four sections along both sides of the central path. Among them, there are three from the Yuan Dynasty, 77 from the Ming Dynasty, and 118 from the Qing Dynasty. These steles record the names, hometowns, and rankings of 51,624 successful candidates from the three dynasties. Among them are notable figures such as Zhang Juzheng, Yu Qian, Xu Guangqi, Yan Song, Ji Yun, Liu Yong, and modern personalities like Liu Chunlin and Shen Junru. Walking through this centuries-spanning forest of steles, gently touching their weathered surfaces, and gazing at the faded inscriptions, one cannot help but reflect on the saying, “Each generation has its own talents who lead the way for centuries.”

In the alley between the Confucius Temple and the Guozijian (the ancient imperial university), there is a forest of 189 tall stone steles. These steles are inscribed with Confucian classics: the Book of Changes, Book of Documents, Book of Songs, Rites of Zhou, Etiquette and Ceremonial, Book of Rites, Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Guliang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Analects, Classic of Filial Piety, Mencius, and Erya. The original version of this stone scripture was handwritten by Jiang Heng, a scholar from Jintan, Jiangsu, during the Yongzheng era, over 12 years. In the 56th year of the Qianlong era (1791 AD), it was mandated to be carved into stone. The entire scripture contains over 630,000 characters, showcasing grand scale and neat calligraphy. Its accuracy and carving quality surpass the "Kaicheng Stone Classics" of Xi’an, making it the second-largest stone scripture collection in China after the Xi’an Stele Forest. Legend has it that Emperor Qianlong appointed Heshen and Wang Jie as chief editors, with Peng Yuanrui and Liu Yong as deputy editors to proofread the scriptures. Peng Yuanrui compared Jiang Heng’s handwritten version with Song and Yuan Dynasty editions of the Thirteen Classics, correcting colloquial characters to classical ones, enhancing the refinement and earning Qianlong’s praise. He was awarded the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. This enraged Heshen, who ordered workers to erase all corrected classical characters overnight. It wasn’t until after Heshen’s downfall that the original characters were restored, leaving visible patches on the steles to this day.

On the west side of the path is an ancient well. Its petal-shaped stone platform is made of bluestone slabs, with a stone well ring. Located along the water line of Deshengmen and Andingmen, the well once overflowed to its mouth, yielding clear and sweet water. Legend says that scholars traveling to the capital to take exams would drink from this “holy water” after paying respects to Confucius, believing it would inspire eloquence and literary brilliance. Ink ground with this water was said to produce fragrant, smooth, and powerful writing. Hence, Emperor Qianlong named it “Inkstone Lake.” Though the water level is now low and it is no longer used, the elegant name and captivating legend add a touch of literary charm to the Confucius Temple.

In April 2005, Beijing Confucius Temple underwent its first major renovation in 50 years. Focused on restoring ancient architecture and preserving its original form, the project revived the temple’s grand Qing Dynasty scale and style, bringing its majestic presence back to life.

Address: No. 15, Guozijian Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Rating: AAAA

Recommended visit duration: 2 hours

Phone: 010-64075259

Official website: http://www.kmgzj.com/

Social media accounts:

Opening hours:

Peak season (May–October): 8:30–18:00, ticket sales stop at 17:00; Off-peak season (November–April): 8:30–17:00, ticket sales stop at 16:30 (Closed on Mondays from November 1, 2016, to April 30, 2017)

Ticket Information:

List Price: 30.0 RMB

Confucius (551–479 BCE), whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi in Changping, the State of Lu (present-day southeastern Qufu, Shandong Province). 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 exerted significant influence worldwide, especially in Southeast Asian countries, and is recognized as one of the world’s cultural luminaries.

Confucius’s ancestors were the younger half-brother of King Zhou of Shang, Weizi Qi, who upheld the Shang ancestral rites and was enfeoffed in the State of Song. His sixth-generation ancestor, Kong Fu Jia, was the first to adopt the surname Kong. His fifth-generation ancestor, Gong Fuzi, fled to Lu to escape turmoil and later settled in Zou, the State of Lu…  More details about Confucius++

Further Reading:

· One of the First Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units in Beijing

· Third Batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level