Xiangyuan Confucius Temple

Xiangyuan Confucius Temple

Xiangyuan Confucius Temple is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Xiangyuan Confucius Temple

Xiangyuan Confucius Temple (Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: Yuan to Qing

Address: No. 245, Xinjian Street, Xiangyuan County

Originally built during the Tianhui era of the Jin Dynasty. Expanded from the second year of Yuanshun to the fourth year of Dade (1296–1300) during the Yuan Dynasty, with renovations in subsequent dynasties. Existing structures include the Dacheng Hall, East Side Halls, and the Library Tower.

The Dacheng Hall was originally built during the Tianhui era of the Jin Dynasty. In the second year of Yuanshun during the Yuan Dynasty, the three-bay structure was expanded to five bays. The hall is five bays wide and six rafters deep, with a single-eave hanging hip roof. Its bracket sets feature complex interlayered arrangements. The building structure largely retains features from the Song and later periods. The current paintwork and colored decorations were added in more recent times. Confucius (551–479 BCE), whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi (present-day southeastern Qufu, Shandong), Changping Commandery of the State of Lu. He was a philosopher, educator, and statesman in the late Spring and Autumn period, the founder of Confucianism, and one of the most influential figures in Chinese history and culture. His impact extends globally, especially across Southeast Asia, making him one of the world’s cultural luminaries.

Confucius’s ancestors included Weizi Qi, the half-brother of the last Shang ruler, King Zhou. Weizi Qi upheld the Shang ancestral rites and was enfeoffed in the State of Song. The sixth-generation ancestor, Kong Fu Jia, was the first to adopt “Kong” as the family surname. The fifth-generation ancestor, Mu Jin Fu, fled to Lu for refuge and later settled in Zou... More detailed information about Confucius ++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units