Dacheng Hall of the Ru'nan Confucius Temple

Dacheng Hall of the Ru'nan Confucius Temple

The Dacheng Hall of the Ru'nan Confucius Temple is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Henan Province.

The Dacheng Hall of the Ru'nan Confucius Temple was first built during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty and is a provincial-level cultural heritage site. It is currently located within the compound of the Ru'nan County Committee. Originally dedicated to Confucius and also used as a school.

The Dacheng Hall faces south and is situated on a 1-meter-high brick foundation covering an area of 216 square meters, with the height of the platform matching that of the hall’s base. The hall is five bays wide and three bays deep, measuring 15.4 meters in length, 10.7 meters in width, and 11.3 meters in height. It features a single-eave, nine-ridge hip-and-gable roof covered with green glazed tiles. The central ridge is adorned with a precious vase, while the ends are fitted with large dragon ornaments. Four large wind chimes hang from the corners of the hall, and the surrounding eaves are decorated with multi-layered and multi-angled bracket sets. The interior is adorned with carved beams and painted columns. The bracket arms are shaped like piano surfaces and elephant trunks, featuring uniquely shaped melon brackets. The main bay and inter-bay bracket sets each have three tiers, while the column-top bracket sets have four tiers. The secondary and minor bays each have two tiers, with six-tiered column-top bracket sets. The eave columns are 4.3 meters high with a diameter of 0.39 meters. The column tops are flat, and the bases are made of blue stone in the form of an inverted basin. The bases under the main bay columns are carved with inverted lotus patterns. The eave column bases are drum-shaped, with inverted basin bases beneath them. Before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, there was also a three-arch stone bridge in front of the hall. The stone pillars under the bridge were carved with small stone temples, while the stone pillars on both sides of the bridge were adorned with twelve carp with spread wings and curling tails — hence the local saying: “a temple below the bridge, a bridge above the temple, a three-arch stone bridge that doesn’t flow, twelve carp flying south,” making it one of the wonders of Ru'nan.

Confucius (551–479 BC), whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi (present-day southeastern Qufu in Shandong Province), the capital of the State of Lu during the late Spring and Autumn Period. He was a thinker, educator, and statesman, the founder of Confucianism, and one of the most influential figures in Chinese history and culture. His impact extends globally, particularly across Southeast Asia, and he is recognized as one of the world’s cultural luminaries.

Confucius’ ancestors were the younger half-brother of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, Weizi Qi, who continued the worship of the Shang and was enfeoffed in the State of Song. His sixth-generation ancestor, Kong Fu Jia, was the first to adopt the surname Kong. His fifth-generation ancestor, Mu Jin Fu, fled to the State of Lu to escape turmoil and eventually settled in Zou of Lu... More details about Confucius ++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Henan Province