Yiyang Confucius Temple

Yiyang Confucius Temple

The Yiyang Confucius Temple is a cultural heritage protection unit of Henan Province.

The Yiyang Confucius Temple is located within the compound of Yiyang Town No. 1 Primary School.

It was listed among the first batch of county-level cultural heritage protection units announced by Nanzhao County in March 1980.

The Yiyang Confucius Temple stretches 180 meters from north to south and 25 meters from east to west, covering an area of 22,500 square meters. Existing structures include a screen wall (now modified), a three-bay Jimen (Gate of Spears), eight side halls on both the eastern and western sides, a five-bay Minglun Hall, three side chambers, as well as five steles, two ancient cypress trees, and features such as a pond and the Number One Scholar Bridge. All buildings feature flush-gable roofs. The site was first established in the 13th year of the Ming Chenghua era (1477) by Magistrate Zhang Gong, renovated in the 8th year of the Zhengde era (1513) by Magistrate Li Xi, and underwent further repairs and expansions during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty and the Yongzheng and Qianlong eras of the Qing Dynasty, reaching completion in the 11th year of Qianlong (1746). Before liberation, it served as the campus of the county middle school, and today it houses Yiyang No. 1 Primary School.

The screen wall was built in the 7th year of the Qing Qianlong era. Its lower part consists of a rectangular base made of brick platform; the middle section is a rectangular screen wall; and the upper part is adorned with multicolored glazed tile ridges.

Both the front and back of the screen wall are inlaid with ceramic panels and painted in vibrant colors. The center-lower part of the front features three arched small gates, flanked on either side by two vividly crafted large carp. Below them is a sea with rippling waves, resembling a scene of carp leaping over the Dragon Gate. This symbolizes the aspiration that students emerging from the Confucian school will achieve academic excellence and become pillars of the nation.

The ridge and back of the screen wall are decorated with a "Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl" motif, formed by piecing together multicolored glazed tiles. The entire screen wall structure is rigorous, with exquisite and elegant craftsmanship, and commands a majestic and magnificent presence.

One meter west of the screen wall stands a "Dismount Stele," inscribed with twelve large characters: "All civil and military officials, soldiers, and civilians shall dismount here."

The "Nanzhao County Temple School Record" stele was erected in the 18th year of the Ming Chenghua era. According to the inscription on the stele, the Confucius Temple was originally known as the "legendary Chu King’s Travel Palace." Historical research indicates that Nanzhao was once a border region of the Chu Kingdom. When King Xiang of Chu toured and inspected the frontier, he stayed overnight in Yiyang and had a “travel palace” constructed, hence the name "Chu Wang Travel Palace."

The "Map of the Confucian School of Nanzhao County" stele measures 0.76 meters in height and 0.65 meters in width. The illustration uses line-engraved intaglio techniques, with simple lines clearly outlining all the buildings of the Confucius Temple along with their names. The main structures are arranged in three tiers along a central north-south axis. There are a total of more than 80 buildings. This stele was erected by Ren Yi, the Tongzhi (Deputy Prefect) of Nanyang Prefecture, during the construction of the temple in the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty.

Yiyang Town: Most of the town's area consists of low mountainous and hilly terrain, with higher elevation in the north and lower in the south. The current land area spans 152 square kilometers, with 32,000 mu of arable land. The town enjoys well-developed transportation and convenient communication. The Jiaozhi Railway, Henan Route 02, and Henan Route 50 intersect in an overlapping cross pattern through the town. There is one county-level railway station, two bus stations, one postal sub-bureau, one telecom sub-bureau, one 139 mobile phone base station, and program-controlled telephone exchange capacity of 6,000 lines, with 4,000 lines currently in service. The area is rich in tourism resources. Within the town lies Jiuli Mountain, historically known as Hanxin Mountain, because Han Xin once stationed troops at the mountaintop... More detailed information about Yiyang Town++