Quxian Confucius Temple

Quxian Confucius Temple

The Quxian Confucius Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Confucius Temple is also known as the Quxian History Museum. The Quxian History Museum was established in January 1986 and shares the same staff and office with the Quxian Cultural Relics Management Office under a dual-name system.

Built before the Jiading era of the Song Dynasty, it was originally situated on the top of Shiyugang in the western part of Quxian County. It was renovated during the Cide era of the Yuan Dynasty (1297–1307 AD). During the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1398 AD), Magistrate Liang Congyi relocated it to the western side of the southern outskirts of the county town. In the first year of the Tianqi era (1621 AD), Magistrate Di Juzheng moved the Confucius Temple back to its original location in the southern suburbs. On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen era (1643 AD), the temple was burned down by peasant rebel forces. The "Quxian Annals" recorded: “At the time of the Guiwei Jiuchou transition, ‘rebels’ breached the city wall from the west and set the Confucian school on fire.” Twenty years later, it was rebuilt in the second year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1663 AD). It underwent further renovations during the Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Jiaqing eras. The existing Confucius Temple structures were reconstructed starting in the twenty-fifth year of the Jiaqing era (1820 AD). The entire project was completed in the autumn of the first year of the Daoguang era (1821 AD). The construction of the Qing-era Confucius Temple began 316 years ago, spanning the reigns of four emperors—Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Jiaqing—and took a total of 158 years to complete.

Upon entering the Confucius Temple, the most striking feature is the majestic vermilion screen wall, both front and back of which are inscribed with gilded characters reading “Gongqiang Wanren” (The Palace Wall Stands Ten Thousand Ren High). The four characters on the front are said to have been handwritten by Emperor Kangxi. The screen wall was built in the fifty-ninth year of the Qianlong era (1794 AD), over 180 years ago. The phrase “Gongqiang Wanren” originates from the "Analects of Confucius · Zizhang": “The Master’s wall is several ren high; those who fail to find the door cannot glimpse the beauty of the ancestral temple…” In ancient times, one ren equaled seven or eight Chinese feet, and “ten thousand ren” is used to describe great height. On either side of the screen wall, the left gate bears a plaque inscribed with the characters “Shengyu” (Sacred Domain), while the right reads “Xian’guan” (Virtuous Pass)—the abode of sages and worthies. In front of the gate lies a stone well, where a stone stele once stood inscribed with the running script: “All civil and military officials must dismount here.”

Beyond the gate lies the Pan Pond, shaped like a crescent moon. The pond is spanned by a three-bridge, nine-arch structure, with fish swimming beneath and clear blue waves rippling. At the center of the bridge stands an exquisitely carved coiled dragon; in feudal society, only top imperial examination graduates returning in glory were permitted to cross it—a special honor symbolizing “standing alone at the head of the list.” Even the two side bridges could only be used by scholars who had achieved academic honors, in a ritual known as “Youpan” (Strolling the Pan), accompanied by a specific ceremony called “Pan Shui Shengxiang” (Fragrance Rising from the Pan Waters). The Pan Pond was built in the forty-eighth year of the Qianlong era (1783 AD), over 190 years ago.

After the Pan Pond lies the grand and exquisite “Lingxingmen Archway,” a three-bay stone structure made of bluish sandstone, tall and spectacular, with exquisite craftsmanship. The archway was built in the fifty-ninth year of the Qianlong era (1794 AD), 187 years ago. The stones were quarried from the Xiao Mountain Gorge of Sanjiang in Quxian and transported by boat along the Qu River. At the time, without large lifting equipment, the “soil-piling method” was used to erect it. All stone slabs were joined using mortise-and-tenon techniques with precise measurements. Despite nearly two hundred years of exposure to sun, rain, and wind, the structure remains largely intact without deformation. The top of the archway features six coiled dragons, heads raised toward the sky, as if striving to pierce the clouds, vividly rendered. The central plaque is inscribed with the characters “Lingxingmen” (Gate of the Spirit Star). The stone carvings on the archway are all openwork designs with strong three-dimensional effects, such as “Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl,” “Double Phoenixes Facing the Sun,” “Cranes Flying Through Clouds,” “Five Bats Returning to Truth,” “Qilin Delivering a Book,” and “Fish Leaping Over the Dragon Gate.” These lively yet dignified patterns were once hailed as “the finest archway in Shu” (“Shu” referring to Sichuan). The "Quxian Annals" noted: “The Lingxingmen gate selected beautiful and massive stones, with particularly fine carvings, unmatched in all of Sichuan.” In 1926, the Eastern Miscellany magazine by the Commercial Press published a special article and photos introducing it.

The architectural complex of the Confucius Temple is built in a terraced formation, with grand scale and harmonious integration of side rooms, pavilions, and towers. Facing south and backed by the north, it is resplendent and majestic in appearance. The main structure is the Dacheng Hall, lofty and solemn. The roof ridge features two coiled dragons fired in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. The hall is covered entirely with golden glazed tiles. The central altar originally enshrined the spirit tablet of Confucius, adorned with bas-reliefs of nine dragons holding up the sage. The central plaque, written in gold-on-red characters, reads “Dacheng Zhisheng Xianshi Kongzi Shenwei” (The Divine Seat of Confucius, the Greatest Sage and Teacher). Beneath the Bagua caisson ceiling hangs a plaque inscribed with “Wanshi Shibiao” (Exemplar for All Generations). The east and west side halls also enshrine the spirit tablets of the “Four Companions” and “Ten Wise Disciples.”

Beneath the carved stone platform of the Dacheng Hall lie the east and west side chambers, which enshrine seventy-nine “Sages” and seventy-five “Worthy Confucians.” The side chambers are covered with green-glazed tiles, with walls carved with reliefs of the Four Treasures of the Study and auspicious clouds and mythical beasts. The wooden carvings, lattice windows, and door panels are elegant and dignified.

A few steps down is the Jimen (Pole Gate), where twenty-four ancient weapons (poles) are displayed, creating an atmosphere of solemn authority.

Below the gate are four memorial shrines: the “Minghuan Shrine” for “officials who ruled with virtue and benefited the people,” the “Xiuxian Shrine” for “local worthies of upright conduct,” the “Zhaozhong Shrine” for “those who died for loyalty and righteousness,” and the “Jie’xiao Shrine” for “chaste women and filial sons”—all dedicated to figures regarded by feudal rulers as exemplars of “loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness.” Unfortunately, these four shrines and the Jimen were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

Behind the Dacheng Hall lies the Chongsheng Shrine (also called Chongsheng Hall), dedicated to the parents and ancestors of Confucius.

Standing at the entrance of the Dacheng Hall, one can overlook the various shrines, archways, Pan Pond, and screen wall. Looking ahead, about one hundred meters away from the Confucius Temple, there is an artificially piled hill called “Zhubaoshan” (Jewel Mountain) with an exquisite octagonal pavilion on top. To the east, one can see the vast blue Qu River, and to the west, the verdant, dragon-tiger-like Ma’anshan. The view offers an unobstructed panorama of the Qu River landscape.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Confucius Temple has undergone several restorations, been designated as a Quxian County-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit, and converted into the Quxian People’s Cultural Palace—a venue for sightseeing, leisure, entertainment, and various cultural activities.

Protected area: bounded by the current site, covering an area of 5,711 square meters.

Scenic spot location

Within Quxian County, Sichuan Province

Admission: Free

Opening hours: Open in the morning and afternoon, with a break at noon; reopens at 2:30 PM

Protected area: bounded by the current site, covering an area of 5,711 square meters.

Further reading:

· Seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units