The Confucius Temple Complex

The Confucius Temple Complex

The Confucius Temple Complex is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Confucius Temple, also known as the Holy Temple or Temple of Confucius, was first built in the 13th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (725). In the 4th year of the Changqing era (824), County Magistrate Xing Shenrong conducted the first renovation (an original stele remains). During the Song Dynasty, Li Jie renovated it again and inscribed the imperial “Eight Virtues and Eight Punishments” stele within. In the Yuan Dynasty, Quan San carried out a third renovation. During the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era (1522–1566), the 63rd-generation descendant of Confucius, Kong Zhenning, relocated to Wenshang. As the eldest branch of the 64th generation in Qufu held the title of Duke Yansheng, the hereditary titles of Tai Chang Si (Minister of Rites), Five Classics Doctorate, and Sixth-Rank Officials were also granted to various branches in Wenshang—ranks all higher than that of a county magistrate. As a result, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the temple was continuously renovated and expanded in imitation of the Qufu Confucius Temple, forming a grand architectural complex centered around the Dacheng Hall. Covering an area of over 20,000 square meters, its scale is second only to the Qufu Confucius Temple complex.

The existing Dacheng Hall is a Ming Dynasty structure, measuring 23.5 meters in length, 13 meters in width, and 11.6 meters in height. It features a hip-and-gable roof, with 7 bays and 32 pillars, single-layered flying eaves covered in green glazed tiles. The front is adorned with yellow glazed tile diamond patterns, and both the interior and exterior are equipped with bracket sets, featuring double-angled straight brackets. The bracket sets and flying eaves are painted, with the roof ridges and eaves decorated with figures and birds or beasts. Inside the hall hangs a large plaque inscribed with “Exemplar of Ten Thousand Generations,” and at the center stands a statue of Confucius, flanked by statues of the Four Disciples and Twelve Philosophers. At the front is the Jiemen (also called Dacheng Gate), a 5-bay single-eave painted gate. Behind it lies the 7-bay painted Minglun Hall, used as a lecture hall for the county school, with a plaque inscribed “Minglun Hall” at the center, traditionally said to have been written by the great Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty. On either side of the hall’s platform stand the Eastern and Western Side Halls, each with 12 bays, housing memorial plaques of Confucius’ disciples and esteemed scholars and sages from past dynasties. Other structures include the Wenming Archway, East and West Flower Gates, Lingxing Gate, Zhanxian Archway, Yangsheng Archway, Shrine to Meritorious Officials and Local Sages, Shrine to Chaste and Filial Women, Shrine to the Sage’s Ancestors, Wenchang Shrine, Bowu Study, Lǐ Ritual Study, the residences of the Education Officer and Disciplinary Instructor, Jingyi Pavilion, Jia’ge Historiography Room, Archery Field, and School Granary. The courtyard is filled with numerous stone stelae and towering ancient cypresses. The front Wenming Archway is inscribed with “Supreme Harmony and Vital Force,” the East and West Flower Gates with “Virtue Matches Heaven and Earth, Doctrine Surpasses Past and Present.” Outside the front wall of the Lingxing Gate are stone railings and two stone tablets inscribed with “All Officials and People Must Dismount Here.” During the Republican era and the Japanese puppet regime, minor repairs were made to the aforementioned structures. After the liberation in 1948, most were demolished due to school renovations and street expansions, and many stelae were buried in the Pan Pond in front of the Jiemen and underground in the eastern part of the courtyard. Today, only the Dacheng Hall, Jiemen, Minglun Hall, Shrine to Meritorious Officials and Local Sages, Shrine to Chaste and Filial Women, and a Yuan Dynasty stele titled “Record of the Reconstruction of the Holy Temple” remain.

In 1993, the Confucius Temple underwent restoration, and Kong Demao, the 77th-generation direct descendant, inscribed the plaque for the Jiemen.