Zijin Confucius Temple

Zijin Confucius Temple

The Confucius Temple, also known as the Temple of Learning, is located inside the east gate of the county town, at the southern foot of Zijin Mountain. Built at the same time as Yong’an County, it consists of three separate halls and is a Ming Dynasty ancient architectural complex featuring red walls and green tiles in the style of palatial buildings. The front hall is the main hall of the temple, called the "Dacheng Hall," which is dedicated to Confucius. A large plaque inscribed with "Exemplar for All Generations" hangs above the entrance. At the center of the hall is a shrine that houses the memorial tablet of "The Great Accomplished and Most Holy Foremost Teacher, Confucius." On both sides of the hall are four smaller shrines, each containing the memorial tablets of Yan Hui, Zengzi, Zisi, and Mencius. The entrance of the hall opens onto a large courtyard, with long corridors on both sides known as the "East and West Side Halls," where the plaques of the Seventy-Two Disciples are enshrined. Opposite the Dacheng Hall is the Through Hall, which serves as a passageway. On either side of the Through Hall are the “Local Sages Shrine” and the “Eminent Officials Shrine.” Below the Through Hall is a square surrounded by stone railings. In the center of the square stands a stone memorial archway, the “Lingxing Gate.” Inside the gate is a semicircular pond. The hall behind the Dacheng Hall is called the “Chongsheng Shrine,” and the one behind that is the Wenchang Tower. These three halls have been converted into school buildings of Zijin Middle School since 1929 (the 18th year of the Republic of China).