The Temple and Academy of Mount Ni

The Temple and Academy of Mount Ni

The Temple and Academy of Mount Ni are a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

The Temple and Academy of Mount Ni are located at the eastern foot of Mount Ni, about 28 kilometers southeast of Qufu City, Shandong Province.

Originally named Niqiu Mountain, it was renamed Mount Ni to avoid the sacred name of Confucius, whose given name was Qiu. The mountain is not very tall, with an elevation of about 340 meters, but boasts beautiful scenery. "A mountain need not be high; it is famous so long as there is a deity on it. A lake need not be deep; it has supernatural power so long as there is a dragon in it." Because China’s great thinker, statesman, and educator Confucius was born here, Mount Ni has become world-renowned.

Legend has it that Confucius was born after his father, Shuliang He, and mother, Yan Zhengzai, prayed on Mount Ni. In later generations, a temple was built to enshrine them. This temple was initially called the Temple of Shuliang He. The Tang Dynasty text "Kuodi Zhi" records: "The Temple of Shuliang He, also known as the Shrine of Niqiu Mountain, is located fifty li east of Sishui County in Yanzhou at the eastern foot of Niqiu Mountain." During the Later Zhou Dynasty (954–960 AD), Zhao Hou, governor of Yanzhou, rebuilt the temple on Mount Ni. In the third year of the Qingli era (1043 AD) during the Song Dynasty, Kong Zongyuan, the 46th-generation descendant of Confucius and the hereditary Duke of Literary Praise, constructed a new temple complex with halls, bedrooms, lecture rooms, study rooms (originally located west of the temple, now gone), and ritual fields, transforming it into a main temple dedicated to Confucius. In 1194 AD, during the Jin Dynasty, over 4,000 strings of cash from the surplus maintenance fund of the Confucius Temple were used to carry out extensive renovations, resulting in a layout similar to the current structure. In 1332 AD, during the Yuan Dynasty, Kong Sihui, the 54th-generation descendant of Confucius and Duke of the Confucian Lineage, submitted a petition for another round of repairs. Reconstruction began in March 1338 AD, funded by donations including those from Yang Na, an official of the Lianfang Qian Shi office. In 1348 AD, statues of Confucius and his four attendants were added. Further repairs were made in 1377 AD during the Ming Dynasty. In 1417 AD, Kong Yanjin, the 59th-generation descendant and Duke of the Confucian Lineage, led a major reconstruction effort that included a three-bay main hall of regulation size. Subsequent renovations and partial reconstructions occurred in 1494 AD, 1589 AD, 1674 AD, 1724 AD, and 1755 AD. In 1864 AD, Kong Fanhao, the 74th-generation descendant and Duke of the Confucian Lineage, petitioned for and received imperial approval and 31,500 taels of silver to renovate the Temple of Mount Ni.

The Temple of Mount Ni covers an area of approximately 1.6 hectares, consisting of 27 structures including halls, chambers, shrines, and pavilions, totaling 81 rooms with a construction area of 1,700 square meters. The entire architectural complex is divided into three routes and five courtyards, with more than 80 halls and rooms. At the front is the stone Lingxing Gate, beside which stands a stele pavilion by the stone bridge, housing the “Record of the Renovation of the Temple of Confucius on Mount Ni.” To the east of the gate, near the cliff, it is said that Confucius once observed the convergence of five rivers, leading to the later construction of the wooden “Guan Chuan Pavilion.” As recorded in the Analects: “The Master standing by a river, said, ‘It passes on just like this, never ceasing day or night!’” This refers to this very spot. East of the Guan Chuan Pavilion, under the cliff, lies the Kunling Cave, also known as the Confucius Cave, because Confucius was born here. The Dacheng Hall has five bays, a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles, and although reconstructed in the Qing Dynasty, still retains the wooden structural style of the Yuan Dynasty. There are five bays each on the east and west side halls, a five-bay bedroom hall, a lecture hall, a screen wall, and a shrine to the Earth God in the east wing. The west wing includes the Qisheng Hall, dedicated to Shuliang He, Confucius’s father, and the bedroom hall behind it, which enshrines Confucius’s mother, Lady Yan. The Yu Sheng Hou Shrine, located in the central northern part of the complex, is dedicated to the deity of Mount Ni. About 100 meters northeast of the temple lies the Academy of Mount Ni, surrounded by enclosing walls. The academy’s main gate faces south, and inside are five bays of main rooms with a five-rafter, four-pillar, front-and-rear corridor-style wooden frame and gray-tiled flush gable roofs, flanked by five-bay side rooms on the east and west. It served as a place for lectures, teaching, and commemorating Confucius in ancient times.

Behind the Temple of Mount Ni lies the Academy. The Academy of Mount Ni was first built in 1043 AD during the Song Dynasty, originally located west of the temple. It was relocated to its current site in 1194 AD during the Jin Dynasty and has undergone multiple renovations, with the current structure dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Kong Chengqing, the 60th-generation descendant of Confucius (who died young and was posthumously granted the title of Duke of the Confucian Lineage in 1455 AD), once wrote: “Where is the home of hanging vines on the rocks? Deep in the mountains, a thatched hut hides beyond the mist and rosy clouds. Once the recluse finishes reading, with nothing else to do, he dons his gauze hat and boils tea himself.” Such a serene and refined immortal realm is indeed a rare and perfect place for reading and teaching. The head of the academy was referred to by various titles in different dynasties, such as Dongzhu, Shanzhang, Tangzhang, Yuanzhang, or Professor. The Academy of Mount Ni was managed by a Xuezhang (academic head) holding the official rank of eighth grade. With the Four Books and Five Classics as its core curriculum, it served as a local education hub and a gathering place for renowned scholars. Establishing the academy behind the Temple of Mount Ni underscores its profound significance, as Confucius has been venerated throughout history as the cultural sage. The academy’s main building consists of three bays with a front corridor, no bracket sets, and a gray-tiled hanging gable roof. There are three bays of side rooms on both the east and west sides, with a two-bay tearoom located south of the east side room, all topped with gray-tiled flush gable roofs. The main gate has one bay and a gray-tiled hip-and-gable roof. On the east side of the gate stands a stone stele of the Academy of Mount Ni, engraved during the Yuan Dynasty.

In 2006, the Temple and Academy of Mount Ni, as ancient architectures from the Ming and Qing dynasties, were included in the sixth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.

Confucius (551–479 BC), whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi, Changping, Lu State (present-day southeastern Qufu, Shandong Province). He was a thinker, educator, and statesman of 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 descendants of Weizi Qi, the elder half-brother of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. Weizi Qi upheld the Shang rituals 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, Mu Jin Fu, fled to Lu for refuge and eventually settled in Zou, Lu State... More detailed information about Confucius ++

Further Reading:

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