Xingning Confucius Temple

Xingning Confucius Temple

Xingning Confucius Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Xingning Confucius Temple is located within Xingmin Middle School in Xingning City. Built during the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, it has long served as the region's foremost educational institution. After the imperial examination system was abolished in the late Qing Dynasty, the temple was converted into Xingmin Primary School, with the renowned patriotic figure Qiu Fengjia serving as its first principal. Later, Xingning County Middle School was also established here. In 1925, - led Whampoa Military Academy students on the Eastern Expedition and set up a command post inside the temple. The site still preserves multiple ancient structures renovated during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, such as the Dacheng Hall, Zunjing Pavilion, East and West Wings, Pan Pond, and Lingxing Gate. The 600-square-meter Dacheng Hall houses a plaque inscribed with “Model Teacher for All Ages,” written by Emperor Kangxi. In 1962, the temple was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Originally known as the Confucian Temple in ancient times, it was renamed Confucius Temple after the Republic of China. It has stood for over seven hundred years. (Another record states: Xingmin Confucius Temple was built earlier than the current Ming-era Xingning Ancient City, was destroyed in war, and was later rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. During the construction of the Xianxian Building in the 1980s and 1990s, when digging the foundation, well-preserved ancient blue bricks were discovered, likely remnants of an earlier site.) In the fourth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1371), Liu Zhao Fu, the county magistrate, established the temple in the southeast of the county seat. In the eighteenth year of the Chenghua reign (1482), imperial censor Xu Mao relocated the temple to the former site of the Eastern Guangdong Circuit (now the location of Xingmin Middle School). It underwent multiple renovations and expansions, and by the end of the Qing Dynasty, the temple complex included: the central Dacheng Hall, followed by the Chongdui Shrine, and then the Zunjing Pavilion.

To the east were the Minglun Hall and the instructors’ offices, while to the west were the Ink Pond and Wenfeng Academy. Flanking the hall were the East and West Wings, with the Ji Gate to the south. To the left of the gate was the Memorial Shrine of Meritorious Officials, and to the right, the Memorial Shrine of Local Worthies. In front of the gate was the Pan Pond, followed by the Lingxing Gate. Outside the gate was a surrounding wall, beyond which lay a large pond (also known as the Pre-School Pond. This is the “moon” in the “Seven Stars around the Moon” geomantic configuration of Xingning recorded by Hu Xi. Though tinged with feudal beliefs, the interpretation based on the geomancy of the time helps explain why Xingmin Confucius Temple once enjoyed a flourishing literary culture. It was centrally located, embraced by the “stars,” with the Wenfeng Pagoda standing tall nearby.) The Dacheng Hall.

According to the Xingning County Annals: the main hall of the Dacheng Hall enshrined Confucius, with 16 disciples and sages on its sides. The East and West Wings enshrined 133 sages and scholars. The Chongsheng Shrine honored five generations of Confucius’s ancestors. These wooden tablets were destroyed in the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927).

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units