Fenghuang Confucius Temple

Fenghuang Confucius Temple

The Fenghuang Confucius Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

The Fenghuang Confucius Temple was first built in the 49th year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1710), originally serving as a school (then called Xuegong, or “Academy”). The Qianlong-era Gazetteer of Fenghuang Ting records: “The Wuzhai Commandery (Fenghuang was called Wuzhai Commandery in the Yuan Dynasty) had traditionally been governed by native hereditary officials and had no formal schools... In the 49th year of Kangxi, Zhao Shenqiao, the Governor-General of Panyuan, and Sun Diaoding, the Regional Inspector, donated funds to build an academy and its administrative offices... In the 8th year of Qianlong (1743), an imperial decree required that the plaques of all sages and scholars to be worshipped alongside the main Confucian figures be arranged and inscribed according to the formal layout of the Imperial College, with their placement following an east-to-west order. By the 18th year of Qianlong, the Ministry of Rites reviewed and revised the arrangements before submitting a final standardized version.” The Gazetteer of Fenghuang Ting from the Daoguang era states: “Schools are the foundation of governance. Establishing a Confucius Temple to enshrine the Sage and other great teachers is the very basis of education.” Confucius is revered as the Sage and great teacher, hence his place of worship is called a temple rather than a shrine. In the 13th year of Yongzheng (1735), He Qian, the magistrate of Fenghuang Ting, donated 100 taels of silver to renovate the temple. Later, major expansions were carried out in the 19th year of Qianlong (1754), the 22nd year, the 50th year, and the 5th year of Jiaqing (1800). From the winter solstice of the 16th year to the eighth month of the 19th year of Daoguang (1836–1839), local officials and gentry including Yao Huazuo, the prefect of Fenghuang Ting, and Yang Fang, the military commander, raised funds to extensively renovate and expand the Confucius Temple. This eventually created a grand and exquisitely crafted architectural complex, covering a total area (including an imperial examination hall) of over 14,000 square meters, equivalent to 22 mu of land.

The main structure, the Dacheng Hall, covers an area of 381 square meters. It is a brick-and-timber building with a rectangular layout, featuring three brick walls and a front row of carved lattice doors. The hall has three bays, is 14.4 meters wide, 12.7 meters deep, and 16.5 meters tall. Inside, there are four massive central pillars, each about 52 centimeters in diameter and 15 meters high. The Dacheng Hall uses a post-and-lintel construction system with a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, featuring upturned eaves and graceful design. In traditional Chinese architecture, the roof is the most prominent feature, being the most eye-catching part of the structure and also the strongest indicator of hierarchical status. The nine roof ridges of the Dacheng Hall are all covered with glazed tiles, and each ridge is adorned with two crouching mythical beasts—an indication of very high status. Ancient laws were strict: glazed tiles were mostly reserved for imperial use, while commoners could only use ordinary black tiles. Moreover, the number and style of ridge beasts allowed on buildings were strictly regulated by rank—for example, side halls in the imperial palace were permitted only one to three ridge beasts. This illustrates the high status of the Confucius Temple. Hanging from the central beams inside the hall are golden plaques inscribed with calligraphy bestowed by emperors of the Qing Dynasty for the Confucius Temple, including:

Emperor Kangxi’s “Model Teacher for All Ages,” Emperor Yongzheng’s “Never Existed Such a Sage Among the People,” Emperor Qianlong’s “Equal to Heaven and Earth,”

Emperor Jiaqing’s “Sage Who Embodied All Virtues,” Emperor Daoguang’s “Sage in Harmony with the Times,” Emperor Xianfeng’s “Virtue as Vast as the Heavens,”

Emperor Tongzhi’s “Divinely Inspired Sage.”

In front of the Dacheng Hall is a terrace measuring 8 meters long, 16 meters wide, and 1.5 meters high. Instead of steps, there is a dragon-patterned bluestone relief slab known as the “Dragon Stone” between the terrace and the ground. On either side of the terrace are seven stone steps. The open area below the terrace, used for ceremonial bows, is called the “Dan Chi” (Red Steps), which, as the name implies, is paved with red stones and measures approximately 31.35 meters (nine zhang and five chi) in length and 30.03 meters (nine zhang and one chi) in width. Originally, there were side halls (wing rooms) on both the east and west sides of the Dan Chi, three bays each. Below these were bell and drum towers, with the Dacheng Gate (three bays) situated between them. Inside the gate was a stage, and outside, to the left and right, were shrines such as the Shrine of Meritorious Officials, the Shrine of Local Worthies, and the Shrine of Filial Piety and Righteousness. Further out was a Pan Pond (a traditional pond in front of ancient academies), planted with lotus flowers, crossed by a stone arch bridge (Pan Bridge), with stone railings along the pond and bridge. On either side of the pond grew a sweet osmanthus tree. Outside the pond stood a memorial archway-like Lingxing Gate, with four pillars and three gates, each pillar topped with a crouching lion. The central gate bore the horizontal inscription “Lingxing Gate,” while the side gates were embossed with the characters for “Sun” and “Moon,” symbolizing that Confucian teachings shine as brightly as the sun and moon.

Behind the main hall is the Chongsheng Shrine, a three-bay house used to enshrine the spirit tablets of Confucius’ parents. To the south of the main hall stands the Minglun Hall.

At both ends of the street leading to the temple walls are brick memorial archways. The left one is inscribed with “Holy City” above and “Virtue Matches Heaven and Earth” below, while the right one is inscribed with “Gateway to Worthies” above and “Virtue Surpasses Past and Present” below.

In the central bay of the main hall is enshrined the spirit tablet of Confucius, while the side bays hold the tablets of the “Four Disciples”—Yan Hui (Restored Sage), Zisi (Narrator Sage), Zengzi (Ancestral Sage), and Mencius (Second Sage). The east and west walls enshrine the “Twelve Philosophers,” including Zigong, Zilu, and Zhu Xi. The side halls below the main hall house the tablets of 123 sages and scholars, such as Zhou Dunyi, Cheng Hao, Gongyang Gao, Dong Zhongshu, Zhuge Liang, Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Zuo Qiuming, Han Yu, Sima Guang, and Zhou Dunyi.

The temple also houses an imperial edict stele, inscribed with eight regulations issued in the ninth year of the Shunzhi reign:

1. If a student’s parents are wise and virtuous, the student should receive their teachings. If the parents are ignorant or engage in wrongdoing, and the student, being educated and reasonable, should earnestly advise them to avoid bringing ruin upon themselves.

2. Students should aspire to become loyal ministers and upright officials. They must study and discuss the loyal and clean deeds recorded in history, and pay special attention to matters that benefit the nation and its people.

3. Students must maintain a loyal, honest, and upright heart—only then will their studies be of practical use, and their future official careers be successful. A corrupt heart leads to failure in both scholarship and public service, and those who harm others often bring ruin upon themselves. One must always reflect on this.

4. Students must not seek favor with superiors or form connections with the powerful in hopes of advancing their careers. If one is truly virtuous, Heaven will know and bless them.

5. Students must restrain themselves and avoid entering government offices casually. Even for personal matters, they may only send someone to plead on their behalf, and must not involve themselves in lawsuits against enemies or allow others to drag them into giving testimony.

6. Students must respect their teachers and listen attentively to their teachings. If something is unclear, they may ask again politely, but must not argue recklessly. Teachers, too, must teach earnestly and not be negligent.

7. Students must not submit petitions or offer suggestions on state or military affairs. Anyone who dares to offer advice that reaches the emperor will be dismissed and punished.

8. Students must not form cliques, make alliances, or manipulate the government or local affairs. They must not publish writings indiscriminately. Violators will be punished by the supervising officials.

From the Qing Dynasty to the period of the Anti-Japanese War, local officials, merchants, gentry, and commoners in the county town held grand sacrificial ceremonies at the Confucius Temple twice a year during spring and autumn.

The Confucius Temple complex remained intact during the Republican era. In the 1920s, a girls’ school was established here, and in the 1930s, a kindergarten. In 1944, the site became the location of the County Junior High School, which caused some damage to the buildings. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the site continued to be used as a middle school. The side halls, shrines, bell and drum towers, and other structures were demolished, and teaching buildings were erected on their sites. The stage, Dacheng Gate, Lingxing Gate, Pan Bridge, and Pan Pond were also removed, with the pond filled in to create a sports field. The examination hall was repurposed as student dormitories.

Today, only the Dacheng Hall and two century-old sweet osmanthus trees remain of the Confucius Temple complex. In 2002, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Hunan Province.

Although Fenghuang has over 2,000 years of recorded history, it remained a “barbaric” and “uncivilized” frontier region for more than 1,000 years before the Tang Dynasty. From the early years of Emperor Gaozu of Tang (618 AD) to the 40th year of the Kangxi reign (1701 AD), the tusi (native chieftain) system persisted in Fenghuang for 1,083 years. For over two millennia, Fenghuang had no public schools. As the first public educational institution, the Fenghuang Confucius Temple was undoubtedly epoch-making. Since then, the traditional civilization of the Chinese nation has been passed down and continued here, nurturing generations of the Miao, Han, and Tujia peoples. This legacy produced a host of influential figures in Chinese politics, military, and intellectual spheres during the modern era, leaving behind invaluable material and spiritual wealth for future generations.