The Dacheng Hall of the Luyi Confucius Temple

The Dacheng Hall of the Luyi Confucius Temple

The Dacheng Hall of the Luyi Confucius Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

The Dacheng Hall of the Confucius Temple, also known as the Imperial College, is located within the compound of the county Party committee on Ziqi Avenue in Luyi County. The hall faces south with its back to the north.

According to the Guangxu edition of the Luyi County Annals from the Qing Dynasty, the Luyi Confucius Temple was first built during the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (1341–1369), established by Guan Zhineng, the governor of Guide Prefecture, and was later destroyed in war. In the third year of the Hongwu reign (1370 AD), Magistrate Han rebuilt it. At the end of the Chongzhen reign, it was burned down again by bandits. In the third year of the Shunzhi reign (1646 AD), Magistrate Min Sanyuan reconstructed it. Each of the Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Xianfeng reigns saw renovations. In the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign (1870 AD), local residents pooled funds to renovate it once more.

The original Confucius Temple complex included side halls, the Jiemen Gate, the Pan Pond, the Taihe Archway, the WanGu Riyue Archway, the Lingxing Gate, the main gate, and the screen wall, forming a large-scale county government school complex. The Dacheng Hall housed imperial plaques bestowed by emperors including Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. Today, only the Dacheng Hall remains, a structure dating to the Qing Dynasty.

The hall is five bays wide (23.50 meters) and three bays deep (14 meters), featuring a single-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with green glazed tiles. The grand ridge is adorned with coiling dragons, with a central ridge beast carrying a gourd-shaped treasure bottle. The ends are decorated with chiwen-dragon ridge ornaments. The vertical ridges feature lotus and lotus leaf patterns, while the hip ridges are decorated with coiling dragons. The eaves are lined with double-tiered bracket sets with five tiers and upward-curving arms. The bracket arms are carved in swirling cloud shapes. The four corner upturned eaves are tall and majestic, giving the entire structure a solemn, dignified, and ancient appearance. The interior columns are round, with a circumference of 1.50 meters, resting on inverted-bowl-shaped bases. The beams and crossbeams are painted. The hall has latticed doors and windows. The threshold wall is 1.35 meters high, 2.15 meters wide, and 3 meters tall. On the eastern side of the threshold wall is embedded a stele related to tree planting, measuring 0.35 × 0.35 meters. Seven stone steps lead up to the hall entrance. The hall currently serves as a meeting room for the county Party committee and was listed as a county-level key cultural relic protection unit in 1978.

The hall features a rational structure, a solemn and dignified style, and resplendent decoration. It is one of the few remaining ancient buildings in our county, possessing significant artistic, historical, and research value. It provides important physical material for the study of Qing Dynasty architectural and educational history, and stands as an important cultural landmark of the county.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units