Ancient Architectural Complex of the Temple of Mencius

Ancient Architectural Complex of the Temple of Mencius

The Ancient Architectural Complex of the Temple of Mencius is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ancient Architectural Complex of the Temple of Mencius is located in Nanguan within the urban area, bordered by the Dashe River to the south, leaning against Wenxian Hill to the east, and situated on higher ground. According to *The Record of Three Relocations*, the Temple of Mencius was first built in the fourth year of the Jingyou era during the Northern Song Dynasty (1037), situated at the foot of Mount Siji in the northeast of the city, adjacent to the tomb of Mencius. During the Yuanyou period of the Northern Song, it was relocated to the outside the eastern gate of the old Zou County city. Later, due to frequent water damage, it was moved again in the third year of the Xuanhe era (1121) to its current location. The temple stretches 458.5 meters from north to south and 95 meters from east to west, covering an area of 43,600 square meters, or 66 acres. Its scale is second only to that of the Confucius Temple, making it one of the oldest and best-preserved ancient architectural complexes in Shandong Province, as well as a rare representative of ancient Chinese architecture from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. In 1988, it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council.

The Temple of Mencius is laid out in five courtyards, centered around the main hall, the Hall of the Second Sage (Yasheng Dian), with a north-south central axis and symmetrical layouts on both sides.

The main southern gate of the Temple of Mencius is called the “Lingxing Gate.” Inside this gate lies the first courtyard of the temple, flanked by two wooden memorial archways on the east and west sides, named “Continuing the Sage” and “Opening Learning,” respectively. Directly ahead to the north is the stone memorial archway of the “Temple of the Second Sage.” Passing through this archway leads into the second courtyard, where a bluestone path is paved in the center, lined with lush pines and cypresses on either side. Entering the “Taishan Weather” gate brings you into the third courtyard, which has gates on the east and west sides, known as the “Gate of Knowing Words” and the “Gate of Cultivating Qi.” To the south of the “Gate of Knowing Words” stands the “Sacrificial Animal Office” with three bays, and to the south of the “Gate of Cultivating Qi” is the “Ritual Vessel Storage” also with three bays. At the northern end of this courtyard, there are three gates aligned horizontally, with the central one named the “Chengsheng Gate.” To its left stands the “Kangxi Imperial Stele Pavilion.” The fourth courtyard inside the “Chengsheng Gate” is divided into eastern, central, and western sections. The central section houses the main hall of the Temple of Mencius — the Hall of the Second Sage. In front of the hall are the “East Corridor” and “West Corridor,” each with seven bays. In the courtyard, there is the “Heaven-Shaking Well” and the “Qianlong Imperial Stele Pavilion.” Behind the hall is the “Bedchamber Hall.” The eastern section includes the “Qixian Gate,” the “Hall of the Enlightened Sage,” and the “Hall of Madam Duanfan Xuanxian.” The central path of the courtyard is lined on both sides with the “Forest of Stone Tablets of the Temple of Mencius.” The western section contains the “Jingyi Gate,” which leads into a small passageway, and in the northeastern corner of the courtyard, there is a side gate leading to the central courtyard of the Hall of the Second Sage. The central path and surrounding walls of the courtyard are adorned with steles inscribed with poems and writings by literati who visited the temple over the dynasties. On the northern wall is the “Fasting Gate,” and the courtyard also houses the “Dedication Hall” with three bays. On both sides of the terrace in front of the Hall of the Second Sage, there are small side gates — the eastern one named the “Rites Gate,” leading to the courtyard of the “Hall of the Enlightened Sage” in the eastern section, and the western one named the “Righteousness Gate,” leading to the “Dedication Hall” and the rear “Ancestral Shrine” in the western section. On the western side of the Bedchamber Hall is a small gate leading to the final fifth courtyard of the temple — the “Incense Burning Pond Courtyard.” In total, the Temple of Mencius contains 64 halls and chambers of various types, 2 stele pavilions, 4 wooden memorial archways, and 1 stone memorial archway.

The Hall of the Second Sage was first built in the third year of the Xuanhe era (1121). The hall features seven bays, is 17 meters high, 27.7 meters wide, and 20.48 meters deep. It is a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof structure covered with green glazed tiles. The lower eaves use bracket sets of the seven-step single-lift double-angled type, while the upper eaves use the seven-step triple-angled type. Around the hall stand 26 massive stone pillars erected during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty for supporting the eaves when the hall was renovated. These pillars are octagonal in shape, resting on stone drums, which in turn sit atop lotus petal bases carved from Song Dynasty stone. The pillars are 3.05 meters tall, with the drum bases being 0.65 meters high. Among these, the eight pillars under the front corridor are all decorated with shallow relief carvings. The four pillars beside the gate feature bas-reliefs on their southern faces of winged dragons soaring amidst clouds, rendered vividly. The other sides are carved with peony flowers and intertwining lotus patterns, all exhibiting exquisite craftsmanship. The beams and bracket sets under the eaves are adorned with magnificent court-style gilt paintings. High above the central section of the double eaves hangs a vertical plaque inscribed with the characters “Hall of the Second Sage” in gold-plated regular script, surrounded by exquisitely carved five three-dimensional dragons. Above the central door lintel hangs a horizontal plaque inscribed with the golden characters “Spreading the Teachings of Ni Mountain.” Inside the hall, eight massive vermilion-painted wooden pillars support the structure. The two pillars facing the entrance hold a pair of large raised inscribed couplets: “In revering the king’s words, one must speak of Yao and Shun; in concern for the world, the heart is as earnest as that of Yu and Yan.” Both the couplets and the plaques were bestowed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty in the 21st year of his reign (1756). At the center of the Hall of the Second Sage is a dragon-carved and gold-inlaid shrine enshrining a statue of Mencius, dressed in the ceremonial attire of a duke, consistent with the system from the first year of the Yuanyou era (1086) of the Song Dynasty — the attire of the first-rank nobility, including a nine-tassel crown, ceremonial robes with nine symbolic patterns (mountains, dragons, mythical insects, algae, fire, ritual vessels, rice, axes, and tiger stripes), white silk inner garment, blue thin silk skirt, leather belt with hooks, wide sash covering the knees adorned with jade, jade pendant, multicolored silk ribbon, interspersed with two jade rings, red socks, and red shoes. The shrine is topped with a painted caisson ceiling featuring coiled dragons. Below the ceiling, a large horizontal golden plaque bestowed by Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty in the third year of his reign (1725) is suspended, inscribed with the characters “Guarding the Past and Awaiting the Future.” On the eastern side of Mencius’ shrine is another shrine housing the statue of his disciple, Le Zhengzi, the Marquis of Liguo. In 1968, during the Cultural Revolution, the shrine, statues, plaques, and ritual vessels inside the hall were all destroyed. In 1985, the state allocated special funds for their restoration.

The Bedchamber Hall is a five-bay hip-and-gable roof structure, 10.67 meters high, 12.58 meters deep, and 21.23 meters wide. Originally built in the first year of the Yuanshun era (1295) during the Yuan Dynasty, it was initially called the “Zhu State Duke Ancestral Hall,” dedicated to the parents of Mencius. In the tenth year of the Hongzhi era (1497) during the Ming Dynasty, when the 57th-generation descendant of Mencius and the inheritor of the Hanlin Academy’s Five Classics Doctorate, Meng Yuan, renovated and expanded the temple, it was renamed the “Bedchamber Hall,” dedicated to Mencius’ wife. The shrine inside the hall holds a wooden tablet inscribed with “Seat of Madam Tian, the Second Sage’s Wife.”

The East and West Corridors, referred to collectively as the “Two Corridors,” are symmetrical north-south structures. Each has seven bays, is 7.8 meters high, 25.28 meters long, and 8.35 meters deep. Originally built in the third year of the Xuanhe era (1121) during the Song Dynasty and renovated in the Qing Dynasty, they serve to enshrine the disciples and virtuous Confucian scholars of Mencius. According to the designations made in the 12th year of the Tongzhi era (1873) of the Qing Dynasty, the East Corridor houses three shrines enshrining 11 figures: Gao Zi, Gongdu Zi, Pencheng Kuo, Wulu Lian, Hao Kaobuhai, Gongsun Chou, Chen Zhen, Qian Tang, Han Yu, Zishu Yi, and Sun Shuang. The West Corridor has three shrines enshrining nine figures: Peng Geng, Xu Pi, Xianqiu Meng, Meng Zhongzi, Wan Zhang, Chong Yu, Jisun Shi, Tao Ying, and Kong Daopu.

The Hall of the Enlightened Sage was first built in the 10th year of the Hongzhi era (1497) during the Ming Dynasty. It is a five-bay hip-and-gable roof structure, 9.97 meters high, 12.4 meters wide from east to west, and 10.6 meters deep from north to south. It is dedicated to Meng Ke (Mencius’ father), posthumously honored as the Enlightened Sage of Zhu State. At the center of the hall’s shrine is a statue of Mencius’ father wearing ceremonial attire with seven tassels and seven patterns. In front of the statue is a wooden tablet inscribed with “Seat of the Enlightened Sage of Zhu State.” On the eastern wall is a small shrine enshrining a replica of a self-carved stone statue of Mencius.

The Hall of Mencius’ Mother, also called the “Hall of Madam Xuanxian,” was built at the same time as the Hall of the Enlightened Sage. It is a three-bay hanging-roof structure, 7.8 meters high, 10.89 meters wide from east to west, and 9.53 meters deep from north to south. The hall enshrines Mencius’ mother, Lady Zhang. The shrine holds no statue but a wooden memorial tablet inscribed with “Seat of Madam Duanfan Xuanxian of Zhu State.” On the eastern wall is a small shrine containing a three-dimensional stone carving of Mencius, believed to have been obtained by Kong Daofu when renovating Mencius’ mother’s tomb during the third year of the Jingyou era (1036) of the Northern Song Dynasty, and considered to be a “self-carved statue of Mencius created as a funerary tribute to his mother.” This claim remains unverified and requires further research.

The Dedication Hall was first built in the third year of the Zhishun era (1332) during the Yuan Dynasty. It is a three-bay hard-roof structure with a front eave overhang, 6.5 meters high, 10.27 meters wide from east to west, and 7.45 meters deep from north to south. It served as the place where direct descendants of Mencius performed fasting, bathing, and changing clothes before conducting rituals. Over fifty important stone tablets are inlaid along the walls of the courtyard.

The Ancestral Tablet Shrine was rebuilt in the 10th year of the Daoguang era (1830) during the Qing Dynasty by the 69th-generation direct descendant of Mencius, Meng Jilang. Its original construction date is unknown. It is a three-bay structure, 7.45 meters high, 10.06 meters wide from east to west, and 8 meters deep from north to south. The wooden memorial tablets of Mencius’ lineage ancestors from five generations back are enshrined here. In ancient times, noble families maintained five ancestral temples to venerate ancestors down to the fifth generation, with more distant ancestors' tablets being moved here. For the Mencius lineage, Mencius himself is regarded as the eternal ancestor. “Tracing back to the founding ancestor, the ancestral order is clear. From the second generation of the Mencius family onward, the memorial tablets of 66 generations are enshrined here to receive worship. Generation after generation, the lineage traces back two thousand years to its noble origins — a grand testament to the enduring clan system.” A vertical plaque inscribed with “Ancestral Tablet Shrine of the Mencius Lineage” hangs centrally above the shrine’s gate.

Imperial Stele Pavilions: There are two imperial stele pavilions in the Temple of Mencius: the “Kangxi Stele Pavilion” and the “Qianlong Stele Pavilion.” The Kangxi Stele Pavilion is located to the left of the Chengsheng Gate. It was first built in the first year of the Qianlong era (1736) during the Qing Dynasty and underwent major restoration in 1989. The pavilion has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with green glazed tiles, is 11.3 meters high, and measures 7.41 meters in both length and width. Inside is the *Imperial Stele of the Temple of Mencius*, bestowed by Emperor Kangxi in the 26th year of his reign (1687). The stele sits atop a tortoise pedestal with a coiled dragon head, is 3.16 meters tall, and 1.42 meters wide. The stone is fine-grained and intricately carved. The inscription is in the clerical script style, rich and graceful, with dignified structure. The Qianlong Stele Pavilion is located in the eastern section of the courtyard inside the Chengsheng Gate, near the Hall of the Second Sage. According to Volume Four of *Recompiled Record of Three Relocations*, this pavilion was built in the 26th year of the Qianlong era (1761) and features a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. It is 6.5 meters high and 3.87 meters in both length and width. Inside is the *Praise Stele of the Second Sage Mencius*, bestowed by Emperor Qianlong in the 13th year of his reign (1748).

Lingxing Gate Archway: “Lingxing is the star of heavenly fields. To worship heaven, one must first worship Lingxing” (*Book of the Later Han*). The ancients regarded Lingxing as the literary star of heaven. The naming of the temple’s first gate after Lingxing signifies that Mencius is a literary star descended from heaven, and also carries the meaning of honoring Mencius as one would honor heaven. The gate has four pillars and three openings, with a suspended roof covered in gray tiles. Its ridge is adorned with statues of heavenly kings, and the bracket sets are all nine-step four-lift designs, appearing as if ready to take flight. The painted beams and carved rafters are richly colored. Originally built in the Ming Dynasty, it was renovated during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty and again in 1978. The plaque above the gate is inscribed with the three golden characters “Lingxing Gate,” written in regular script by Ding Baozhen, Governor of Shandong during the 12th year of the Tongzhi era (1873).

Stone Archway of the Temple of the Second Sage: This is the gate archway of the second courtyard of the Temple of the Second Sage. It was first built in the early years of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty. The archway is 5.2 meters tall overall, with four pillars and three openings. The pillars are octagonal, topped with ornaments resembling ancient vases and clouds, similar to ornamental columns. The central plaque is inscribed with the three regular-script characters “Temple of the Second Sage,” while the side plaques are carved with cloud-and-dragon motifs. The dragon on the right plaque is a winged one soaring through the air, carved in the same style as the dragons on the pillars of the Hall of the Second Sage’s gate.

Wooden Archway of the Second Sage: First built in the second year of the Tianshun era (1458) of the Ming Dynasty, this wooden archway is located to the west of the Temple of Mencius’ wall, spanning a major north-south thoroughfare. It is a memorial-style gate archway with a wooden frame, featuring four pillars and three openings. It has dark red pillars and green tiles, with upturned eaves and corners. The lower eaves have 11-step five-lift bracket sets, and the central bay’s hanging roof is higher than the surrounding hip-and-gable roofs, emphasizing hierarchy. The four hip-and-gable corners extend outward and curl upward. The central lintel of the archway is inscribed with the two characters “Second Sage.”

Heaven-Shaking Well: Located on the eastern side of the path beneath the terrace in front of the Hall of the Second Sage, this well was first built in the 11th year of the Kangxi era (1672). Beside the well stands a stone tablet with the inscription “Heaven-Shaking Well” on its header. The inscription describes the origin of the well: “Reading the records of the Three Sages, we learn that Confucius’ well is east of Ni Mountain, Zengzi’s well is at Jiuli Mountain north of Xuzhou, and Yanzi’s well is in the humble lane. Only Mencius had no well to commemorate him. In the spring of the 11th year of Kangxi’s reign, while a play was being performed in front of the temple, suddenly a sound like thunder shook the earth. Those who heard it turned pale. They saw the ground in front of the steps sink, leaving circular impressions in the bricks. Upon closer inspection, it was a well. Ah, how extraordinary. Our ancestor’s teachings connect with those of Ni Mountain, shining through the ages alongside Yanzi and Zengzi. Heaven has provided this well to stand alongside the other three, demonstrating the unity of the sages, past and present…” In the 12th year (1673), the well was used for temple maintenance and water supply. It was named the “Heaven-Shaking Well,” paved with bricks, encircled with stones, and its miraculous origin recorded. The stone railing around the well was built in the 11th year of the Daoguang era (1831).

Mencius (circa 372–289 BCE), a philosopher, statesman, and educator of the Warring States period, was a representative figure of the Confucian Mencian school. His given name was Ke, courtesy name Ziyu. He was a native of Zou (present-day southeastern Zoucheng, Shandong), the State of Lu. Regarded as the successor to Confucius’ teachings, he is honored as the “Second Sage.”

Legend has it that Mencius was a descendant of the noble Mengsun family of the State of Lu. Orphaned at a young age and raised in poverty, he studied under a disciple of Zisi. After completing his studies, he traveled among the feudal lords as a scholar, attempting to promote his political ideals. He visited the states of Liang (Wei), Qi, Song, and Teng. Though once … (Mencius detailed information++)