The Grand Hall of the Confucius Temple in Yancheng

The Grand Hall of the Confucius Temple in Yancheng

The Grand Hall of the Confucius Temple in Yancheng is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

The Grand Hall of the Confucius Temple in Yancheng: The Yancheng Confucius Temple is located on West Huanghe Road in the old Yancheng urban area (now the backyard of the Yancheng Culture and Tourism Bureau), and was an ancient site dedicated to gatherings and teachings for Confucian scholars. Originally called the Confucian Palace, it was built during the Yuanhe era of the Tang Dynasty by Gao Cheng, the governor of Yinzhou. It underwent successive expansions after the Zhi Zheng era of the Yuan Dynasty. In the third year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed the Confucius Temple. During the Yongle era, its original name was restored. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, an additional 16 rooms were built, and in the seventeenth year of the Qianlong reign (1752), the Jingwen Academy was established west of the Confucius Temple, forming a preliminarily scaled ancient architectural complex. It was once the foremost of the ancient Eight Scenic Spots of Yancheng, featuring the Kui Star Gate, Pan Pond, corridor rooms, Qisheng Shrine, Minglun Hall, and the Grand Hall.

The current Grand Hall of the Confucius Temple is an early Ming Dynasty structure with architectural features of the Yuan Dynasty. According to the Yancheng County Annals, the Grand Hall is the main palace-style building of the Confucius Temple, situated along the central axis in the northern section of the temple complex. Currently, only the main hall—the Grand Hall—remains. It is a purely wooden structure, facing south with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, topped with grey and green glazed tiles. Elements such as the ang and bracket sets exhibit typical characteristics of Ming Dynasty architecture. The hall’s roof is covered with green glazed tiles, and inside stand large wooden pillars, each embraced by two people, originally adorned with coiling dragon carvings. The craftsmanship is exquisite and vividly lifelike, representing a masterpiece of ancient art. The hall is 11 meters high, 20.4 meters long, and 12.6 meters wide, covering approximately 260 square meters. It has three bays in depth and five in width, with a suspended gable roof, a nine-rafter wooden frame, a double-eave and nine-ridge design, multiple bracket sets, surrounding eaves with flying corners, and upturned eaves. The roof is tiled in yellow-green glazed tiles, with dragon-shaped chiwen ornaments on both ends of the main ridge, their mouths open as if swallowing the ridge, tails curling upwards, and six divine beasts atop each of the four ridges.

In front of the Grand Hall, there were originally over ten ancient cypresses with gnarled trunks reaching the sky, lush and green. There were also more than ten stone steles from the Ming, Qing, and Republican periods, mainly recording the construction of the Confucius Temple and the virtues of Confucius. On either side of the main hall were corner gates: the western one named “Luan Qi Ban Zao” (Half-Dyed Royal Banners), and the eastern one “Yu Pu Zhu Cang” (Yupu Trees Displaying Abundance). Further ahead were seven rooms on the eastern side corridor, with a three-room display area to its north; three washing rooms to the south; seven rooms on the western side corridor, with a three-room ritual ware storage room to its north and a three-room cooking area to the south. Directly in front were three rooms of the Ji Gate, directly aligned with the Grand Hall. On either side of the Ji Gate were gates: the eastern one named “De Pei Tian Di” (Virtue Matches Heaven and Earth), and the western one “Dao Guan Gu Jin” (The Way Surpasses Past and Present). Further ahead, there was a wooden lintel decorated along its edges with bas-relief carvings of coiling dragons. Above it was the sun shining brightly, below turbulent seas, and in the center two phoenixes facing the rising sun. Even further south was the Ten-Thousand-Ren High Palace Wall, constructed from colored bricks. At the center of the Grand Hall was enshrined a memorial tablet for Confucius, the Great Sage and Foremost Teacher.

In the tenth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Jili, the magistrate of Yancheng, composed a poem praising the Yancheng Confucius Temple:

Civilization shines across the central land, the Confucian school stands solemnly to the east. The drumbeats mark dawn and dusk solemnly, its grand sounds heard far and near.

Echoes resound through the splendid hall, elegantly gathering the noble and learned. Movements follow ritual, as classics are taught and profound truths explained.

Majestic are the sounds of strings and songs, echoing loudly in all ears. Teachers are revered, and so is the Way—how could learning ever cease?

The Grand Hall of the Confucius Temple is the surviving main structure of the temple complex. This building is a typical early Ming Dynasty structure located in the transitional zone between northern and southern China, and also bears architectural styles from the late Yuan Dynasty. It holds significant reference value for the study of ancient Chinese architectural art. In 1982, the People's Government of Yancheng County designated it as a county-level key cultural relic protection unit. In 1997, the Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau allocated special funds for its roof renovation. In September 2000, the Henan Provincial People's Government listed it as a third batch provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit.

The current Grand Hall of the Confucius Temple enshrines a portrait of Confucius at its center, surrounded by the “Exhibition of Confucius and Confucian Culture,” divided into three parts: the first part covers the life chronicles of Confucius; the second part discusses the spread and influence of Confucian culture in China and overseas; the third part narrates the historical stories of Confucius’s travels through the various states. The Grand Hall has now become an important venue for promoting and disseminating the Confucian culture of Confucius.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units