Wenshi Temple in Wenshang

Wenshi Temple

Wenshi Temple is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

Wenshi Temple, also known as the Holy Temple or Confucius Temple, is located in the eastern part of Wenshang County. It was first built during the Tang Dynasty’s Tianbao era (742–756), covering an area of 30 mu. In the fourth year of the Changqing era (824), then-county magistrate Xing Shenrong carried out the first renovation. During the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era (1522–1566), the 63rd-generation descendant of Confucius, Kong Zhenning, relocated to Wenshang. Since the eldest legitimate son of the 64th-generation main-line Yan Sheng Gong (Duke Yansheng) from Qufu, Kong Shangxian, died young without an heir, the eldest son of his second-line cousin, Kong Shangtan—Kong Yinzhí—was appointed as the 65th-generation Yan Sheng Gong. He was also granted noble titles and official ranks for various branches settled in Wenshang, including hereditary positions such as the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Doctors of the Five Classics, and sixth-rank officials, all of which ranked higher than that of the county magistrate. As a result, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the temple was continuously renovated and expanded in the style of the Qufu Confucius Temple, eventually forming a grand architectural complex centered around the Dacheng Hall. Today, only the Dacheng Hall, Jimen (Pillar Gate), Minglun Hall, the Ancestral and Local Worthies Shrine, the Chastity and Filial Piety Shrine, and a Yuan Dynasty stele inscribed with “Record of the Reconstruction of the Holy Temple” remain.

In May 1991, the cultural relics bureaus of Shandong Province and Jining City allocated a special fund of 130,000 yuan to renovate the Dacheng Hall, which was completed in December. Kong Decheng, the Sacrificial Official to the Great Sage and 77th-generation direct descendant of Confucius, as well as the former president of Taiwan’s Academy, sent the calligraphy for the plaque inscribed with “Dacheng Hall.” In May 1993, Mr. Yang Qingqin, chairman of Taiwan’s Fuguo Enterprise Group Co., Ltd., donated 1,800 USD to renovate the Jimen (Pillar Gate) of the temple and its auxiliary structures, including the Pan Pond and Golden Water Bridge. Kong Demao, the 77th-generation direct female descendant of Confucius, inscribed the plaque for the “Jimen.” The existing Dacheng Hall is a Ming Dynasty structure, measuring 22.5 meters in length, 13 meters in width, and 11.6 meters in height. It features seven bays with 32 pillars, covered with glazed tiles, and adorned with bracket sets both inside and out. It is a Xieshan-style (hip-and-gable) building. Inside the hall hangs a large plaque inscribed with “Model Teacher for All Ages,” written by Emperor Kangxi. At the center stands a statue of Confucius, flanked by statues of his four disciples and twelve sages. In front of the hall is the Confucian Gate, with the Jimen (also called Dacheng Gate) in the middle. Behind the hall is the colorfully painted Minglun Hall, at the center of which hangs a plaque inscribed with “Minglun Hall,” traditionally believed to be the handwriting of the Song Dynasty scholar Zhu Xi. Other structures include the Civilized Archway, East and West Flower Gates, Lingxing Gate, Zhanxian Archway, Yangsheng Archway, the Ancestral and Local Worthies Shrine, the Chastity and Filial Piety Shrine, the Qisheng Shrine, Bowen Studio, Yueli Studio, the residences of the Teaching Magistrate and Instructional Officer, Jingyi Pavilion, the Shelf and Archive Office, and the Archery Field and School Granary. The courtyard is filled with stone tablets and shaded by ancient cypresses. It was designated as a municipal cultural relics protection unit in 1986.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Second Batch of Jining Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Units