The Dacheng Hall of Xingtang Confucius Temple

The Dacheng Hall of Xingtang Confucius Temple

The Dacheng Hall of Xingtang Confucius Temple is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Hebei Province.

Xingtang County Confucius Temple is located in Xingtang County, Hebei Province. It was first built in the fifth year of the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty (1625), and underwent renovations in the thirteenth year of the Shunzhi era (1656), the twenty-ninth year of the Kangxi era (1690), the forty-sixth year of the Kangxi era (1707), the sixtieth year of the Kangxi era (1721), and the forty-fourth year of the Qianlong era (1779) of the Qing Dynasty. The Confucius Temple was a place for offering sacrifices to Confucius. Every spring and autumn, key officials from the county government would perform the “Shidian” (ceremony of offering sacrifices) at the temple. When students enrolled in school or young scholars passed the xiucai (the lowest degree in the imperial examination), they also had to perform the “Shicai” (a simpler ceremony of offering vegetables) at the temple.

The architectural complex of the Confucius Temple centers around the Dacheng Hall, with the north-south central axis as the line of symmetry. From south to north, it includes: the screen wall (Wanren Palace Wall), the Pan Pond (on both sides of which stand stone tablets inscribed with “Civil Officials Dismount” and “Military Officials Dismount.” In the Qing Dynasty, being awarded the xiucai degree was called “entering the Pan”), the Pan Bridge (also known as the Number One Scholar Bridge), the Lingxing Gate (a three-bay, four-pillar wooden memorial archway), the front hall, the east and west side halls, the Dacheng Hall, and the rear hall (Minglun Hall), as well as buildings such as the animal-slaughtering room, the divine kitchen, and the divine storeroom. The main and auxiliary structures are laid out in a well-organized and integrated fashion. During the Cultural Revolution, the complex suffered damage, and today only the Dacheng Hall remains. It is located on the campus of Xingtang Middle School in the southeastern part of the county town and is currently used as a library.

The main structure, the Dacheng Hall, is the principal hall of the Confucius Temple where the spirit tablet of Confucius is enshrined. It is built on a one-meter-high brick platform, with a square terrace in front of the hall. The hall is nine meters high and covers an area of 300 square meters. It is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a single-eave, glazed-tile, hip-and-gable roof. Although the columns do not feature cantilevered corners, upturned curves, or entasis, the front face of each column is chamfered by a quarter. Under the eaves are bracket sets (dougong): two on the central bay, one on the side bays, and the ones at the corners are larger than the others, with four upward-projecting horns (ang) on the brackets. The terrace is surrounded by three sides of stone railings, with sloped stone steps on the left, right, and center front sides—the ones on the left and right are smaller, while the front ones are larger. At the center of the front steps is a square bas-relief carving of a cloud-and-dragon motif, vivid in appearance.

Protection

In February 2001, the Dacheng Hall of the Confucius Temple was designated by the People’s Government of Hebei Province as a “Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.”

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Units in Hebei Province