Daming Confucius Temple Dacheng Hall

Daming Confucius Temple Dacheng Hall

The Dacheng Hall of Daming Confucius Temple is a cultural heritage site protected by the Shandong Province.

The Dacheng Hall of Daming Confucius Temple was built during the Ming Dynasty in imitation of the Confucius Temple in Qufu. It served as a historical site where local scholars held ceremonies to worship Confucius and promoted Confucian ideology. Located within the campus of Daming No. 1 Junior High School on Zhongshan East Street in Daming County, it was designated as part of the third batch of Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units by the Shandong Provincial People's Government in 2006.

The Daming Confucius Temple was originally constructed in the 11th year of the Hongzhi reign during the Ming Dynasty (1498 AD) and was renovated in the 10th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1884 AD). In 1863 (the 2nd year of the Tongzhi reign), it was buried by silt from the Yellow River. It was rebuilt again in 1888 (the 14th year of the Guangxu reign). The main hall underwent several renovations during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty and the Shunzhi, Kangxi, and Guangxu eras of the Qing Dynasty, and it still retains the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty. The Chongsheng Hall was demolished in the early years after liberation. During the Cultural Revolution, the east and west side halls and the Lingxing Gate were torn down, leaving only the Dacheng Hall, which covers an area of 380 square meters.

The Dacheng Hall is a hip-and-gable roof structure made of brick and wood. It features four sloping roofs (with four hips at the corners), one main ridge, four hip ridges, and four diagonal ridges. It has a dougong (bracket set) system of one-dou and two-sheng with five brackets, lattice windows and doors, and a roof covered with yellow and green glazed tiles featuring diamond-shaped patterns. The interior has twelve columns connected to those inside the walls, forming a sturdy wooden frame structure — hence the saying “even if the walls collapse, the roof stands.” The base of the hall is 12.6 meters long, 22.5 meters wide, and 0.9 meters high. The overall height of the hall is 8.8 meters, with a depth of 11 meters and a width of 21 meters, covering a floor area of 231 square meters. The interior currently displays high-relief Qing Dynasty murals, as well as stone steles and iron bells from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The Main Hall: The main hall faces south and sits on a north-south axis, serving as the central structure of the entire complex (other structures such as side halls, the rear hall, and the Lingxing Gate have been demolished). The exterior of the hall is a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, with the main ridge decorated with bas-relief carvings of two dragons playing with a pearl and dragon spouts. The vertical ridges feature vertical beasts, and the diagonal ridges are adorned with diagonal beasts, along with immortals, dragons, phoenixes, seahorses, and bullfighting motifs. Both sides are equipped with bao ridges, drainage spouts, and eaves adorned with decorative fins.

The hall is five bays wide and three bays deep, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, originally built during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty. The plan is rectangular, five bays wide at 16.40 meters, including a central bay of 4.40 meters, two side bays of 3.20×2 meters each, and two smaller side bays of 2.40×2 meters each. It is three bays deep at 9.60 meters, with individual bays of 2.20 meters, 5.20 meters, and 2.20 meters respectively. The central and side bays have lattice doors, totaling twelve. The smaller side bays and surrounding areas are constructed of brick walls. The interior floor is paved with 40×40 cm bluestone slabs, jointed with lime. The front platform is 55 cm high, while the surrounding platform is 67 cm high and 47 cm wide. The front eave platform is 65 cm high, stretching 8.60 meters from north to south and 16.8 meters from east to west. A pair of modern stone lions is placed on the front eave platform.

Columns and Bases: The hall uses a total of 24 vertical columns, including 4 upper eave columns, 12 lower eave columns (embedded into the walls), and 8 golden columns, all aligned horizontally with neat column tops. There are 4 front and rear golden columns with column head diameters of 45 cm and base diameters of 55 cm. The distance from the top of the front and rear golden columns to the ground is 5.52 meters. The upper eave columns rise 3.10 meters from the ground with a diameter of 50 cm and base diameter of 55 cm; their broad faces are oriented toward the central and side bays, with slots in the side bays for installing lattice doors. The smaller side bays and lower eave columns reach 3.10 meters to the ground and are entirely embedded in the walls. The column bases are made of stone, 62 cm high, with bas-reliefs of lotus patterns. The bases of the northeast and northwest corner golden columns are 50 cm high.

Beams and Frames: The structure uses a post-and-lintel system with four main beams and nine purlins. The central and side bays feature double-layered beam structures. The main beams are supported by the front and rear golden columns, with bracket pillars raising the secondary beams. At the center, a central bracket pillar supports the ridge beam. The main beams are flanked by head beams and secondary head beams, which insert into the golden columns. Behind them are wall-supporting pillars with bracket feet extending with phoenix tail and dragon tail ang beams. The central bracket pillars hold the secondary head beams. Below the head beams, wall-connecting beams insert inward into the golden columns and outward into the wall-supporting columns. The upper eave central beam has two tea leaf-shaped brackets spaced 25 cm apart, with cloud carvings mounted beneath the connecting beams. Below the connecting beams are installed reversed panels, small connecting beams, and bracket arms at both ends. The side bays’ main beams have connecting beams with two lotus-shaped brackets spaced 25 cm apart. The smaller side bays’ beam frames insert inward into the golden columns and outward into the wall-supporting corner columns. The secondary head beams are angled at 45 degrees, inserting inward into the golden columns and outward with bracket feet featuring phoenix tail and dragon tail upturns.

Dougong (Bracket Sets): The dougong are single-material measuring 15.5×10 cm and composite material measuring 21.5×10 cm. They are categorized into outer eave bracket sets and interconnecting bracket sets. The outer eave bracket sets are of the four-puzuo style with single ang, double flat ang, and double ang in a centered design. The central bay uses two filler bracket sets, the side bays use two, and the smaller side bays use one.

The Dacheng Hall of the Confucius Temple features yellow tiles, red walls, tall columns, carved beams and painted rafters, upturned eaves, red railings and doors — all combining to create a majestic and spectacular sight that showcases the exceptional architectural craftsmanship of folk artisans. It holds significant artistic, historical, and scientific value, as well as rich cultural meaning.

Confucius (551–479 BC), 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). He was a philosopher, 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. His impact extends globally, especially across Southeast Asia, making him one of the world’s cultural icons.

Confucius’s ancestors were the younger half-brother of King Zhou of Shang, Weizi Qi, who continued the Shang ancestral sacrifices and was enfeoffed in Song. His sixth-generation ancestor, Kong Fu Jia, was the first to adopt the surname Kong. His fifth-generation ancestor, Mu Jin Fu, fled to Lu and later settled there in Zou... (More detailed information about Confucius++)

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units