Urumqi Confucius Temple

Urumqi Confucius Temple

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

Urumqi Confucius Temple is located at No. 15 Qianjin Road in Urumqi and was built specifically for the worship of Confucius. Since Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty conferred the title of "Wenxuan King" on Confucius in the 27th year of the Kaiyuan era, Confucius temples are also known as Wenxuan Temples or Confucius Temples. It is the only well-preserved architectural complex of Qing Dynasty-style temple buildings in the entire Xinjiang region. Standing along the street, it features rows of poplar trees in front of its entrance, providing lush shade and offering ornamental value. Originally built as the Temple of Heaven, it was renovated in the 11th year of the Republic of China (1922), with the main worship dedicated to the Heavenly God and Confucius as a secondary deity. In 1945, it was converted into the Dacheng Hall dedicated to Confucius. In 1979, it was designated as a Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit. From 1988 to 1990, the state invested one million yuan for comprehensive structural restoration.

Urumqi Confucius Temple is a set of Qing Dynasty-style brick-and-wood structures, consisting of a front and rear main hall, two sets of side halls on the east and west, and two symmetrical bell and drum towers. The main front hall features flying eaves, bracket sets, grey brick tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, with intricately interlocking rooflines. The overall architecture is majestic and solemn, classic and traditional, elegant and serene. Visitors often feel deeply moved here, with a natural sense of nostalgia arising.

Confucius (551–479 BC), whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi in Changping, State of Lu (now southeastern Qufu, Shandong Province). He was a thinker, 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. He also had significant influence worldwide, especially in various Southeast Asian countries, and is recognized as one of the world’s cultural luminaries.

Confucius’s ancestors were the younger half-brother of King Zhou of Shang, Weizi Qi, who presided over the rites of the Shang dynasty and was enfeoffed in the State of Song. His sixth-generation ancestor, Kong Fu Jia, was the first to adopt the surname “Kong.” His fifth-generation ancestor, Shu Jin Fu, fled to the State of Lu to escape turmoil and later settled in Zouyi, Lu... More detailed information about Confucius++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units