Xichong Confucius Temple

Xichong Confucius Temple

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

The Xichong Confucius Temple was originally built during the Chunyou era (1241–1245) of Emperor Lizong in the Southern Song Dynasty. After renovations during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, it reached a considerable scale. Among the Confucius Temples in various counties (and cities) of Nanchong, the Xichong Confucius Temple is one of the most well-preserved. The temple features exquisite and unique architecture, with lush greenery in its courtyards, giving it a garden-like style. In 1983, it was listed as a county-level cultural relics protection unit. The original site of the temple was located on a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Xiangxi and Hongxi streams within the county town. Around the year 2000, due to urban planning needs, the temple was relocated in its entirety to the lotus lake area of Jixin Square, where its original appearance was fully preserved.

The mountain gate is a pavilion-style structure, originally named “Lingxing Gate.” It has 11 stone steps at the front, and its roof truss is a small-scale post-and-lintel timber structure with stone columns. Protective stone bases are installed beside the main gate, and the roof is in the hip-and-gable style. The mountain gate is connected to the Dacheng Hall via a passageway. The column bases of the passageway are divided into front and back sections — the front ones once featured four stone lions (now destroyed), while the rear ones are shaped like lotus flowers. The eight-rafter roof is constructed with a central pillar and uses a three-pillar system, also featuring a small-scale post-and-lintel structure, with a hanging gable roof. The Dacheng Hall has a front terrace, and its foundation is 1.2 meters high. The side walls combine stacked beams with post-and-lintel construction, using a central pillar system with five pillars. The interior employs a reduced-pillar design, supported by four large pillars with a diameter of 0.45 meters, which have circular bases. The roof is a double-eave hip-and-gable structure. The left and right wing rooms are 19 meters apart, each with a depth of 5.5 meters.

Protected Area: Within the enclosing wall of the Confucius Temple building.

Construction Control Zone: The protected area extends 20 meters eastward, 50 meters westward, 30 meters southward, and 50 meters northward.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units