Temple of Mencius’ Mother’s Three Moves

Temple of Mencius’ Mother’s Three Moves

The Temple of Mencius’ Mother’s Three Moves is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Temple of Mencius’ Mother’s Three Moves is located in Miaohuying Village, west of Zoucheng City, Shandong Province. It faces south and consists of three main rooms and three wing rooms on the east and west sides respectively. The main room, known as the “Temple of Mencius’ Mother,” is a single-eave flush-gable building with a front corridor. It measures 7.05 meters in width and 6.2 meters in depth. At the center of the temple is an altar enshrining statues of Mencius’ parents, with an altar of Mencius on the eastern side. On the eastern and western walls of the front corridor are two stone tablets: one is the Stele for the Establishment of the Temple of the Second Sage, erected in the second month of the Gui Si year (1713) during the 52nd year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty; the other is the Stele for the Addition of Sacrificial Fields in Miaohuying, erected by Meng Guangjun in the 4th year of the Tongzhi reign (1865) in the Qing Dynasty. Originally, there was also a stele inscribed with “Temple of Mencius’ Mother’s Three Moves” standing outside the gate, which has now been moved to the Temple of Mencius for preservation. This temple is one of the structures commemorating Mencius’ mother and Mencius. In 1985, it was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of Jining City.

The birthplace of Mencius, Fucun Village, is located 12 kilometers north of Zoucheng and was incorporated into Qufu City in 1960. Today, Fucun still houses cultural relics and historic sites related to Mencius, such as the “Former Residence of Mencius,” the “Memorial Archway of Mencius’ Hometown,” the “Well of Mencius’ Mother,” and the “Pond of Mencius’ Mother.”

Miaohuying Village is now situated in the western suburbs of Zoucheng, about 10 kilometers from Fucun. The village contains three rooms that were part of Mencius’ former residence, which house statues of Mencius’ mother and father, as well as some stone tablets and ancient trees. The ancient “Stele of the Temple of Mencius’ Mother’s Three Moves” has now been moved to the Temple of Mencius for preservation.

Adjacent to the Confucian school south of Zoucheng City lies the area now 500 meters behind the Temple of Mencius. In the past, this site included ancient structures such as the Zisi Academy, Mencius’ Book-Drying Terrace, Mencius’ Mother’s Severed Loom Hall, and the Temple of Zisi, as well as stone tablets such as the Tablet for the Site Where Zisi Wrote the Doctrine of the Mean, the Tablet for the Site Where Mencius’ Mother Severed the Loom, and the Tablet for the Site Where the Second Sage Washed His Ears at the Inkstone Pool. Nowadays, only ruins remain, and the related stone tablets have been moved to the Temple of Mencius for preservation.

Fushan Subdistrict: Fushan Subdistrict is located in the western part of Zoucheng City, the hometown of Mencius in Shandong Province. Established on December 9, 2000, it governs 13 administrative villages and 5 community neighborhood committees, covering an area of 21 square kilometers with a population of 81,000. The subdistrict is home to the headquarters of Yankuang Group, a large modern enterprise with an annual raw coal production capacity of 40 million tons, and a provincial-level economic development zone spanning 16 square kilometers. Over the years, the subdistrict Party Working Committee and the subdistrict office have firmly established the working philosophy of “building the subdistrict through industry, invigorating it through commerce, and enriching the people through projects.” Leveraging its favorable geographical advantages and strong economic foundation, they promote the spirit of... More details about Fushan Subdistrict ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Shandong Province

· First Batch of Municipal Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jining City