Jian'ou Confucius Temple

Jian'ou Confucius Temple

Jian'ou Confucius Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jian'ou Confucius Temple, originally the Confucius Temple of Jianning Prefecture Academy, is located at No. 163, Cangchang Road, Jian'ou City, Fujian Province. It is now a cultural relic protection unit of Fujian Province and the site of the Jian'ou City Museum. The exact date of the temple's initial construction is unknown, but it is believed to date back to the Baoyuan era of the Northern Song Dynasty when Jianning Prefecture established its academy, with the academy and the temple initially built separately. In the first year of the Jianyan era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127), it was destroyed in war, and when it was rebuilt in the second year of the Shaoxing era (1132), the academy and temple were combined. In the 14th year of Shaoxing (1144), it was destroyed by flooding, and after that, it was repeatedly damaged and repaired. In the 34th year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1401), the temple was again destroyed by fire and was relocated to its current site when it was rebuilt in the third year of the Yongle era (1405). The existing structures were rebuilt in the eighth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1869) and completed in the fifth year of the Guangxu era (1879).

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Confucius Temple suffered severe damage. The academy section on the west side was demolished to build a hospital, and the temple section on the east side was also repurposed. In 1985, the local government began allocating funds to renovate the Dacheng Hall, Jimen, and the two side halls, and to rebuild the Lingxing Gate. In 1991, the Confucius Temple was designated as a third batch provincial-level cultural relics protection unit by the People's Government of Fujian Province.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units