Panyu Confucian Temple

Panyu Confucian Temple

Located on Zhongshan 4th Road in Guangzhou, Panyu Confucian Temple was the county school of Panyu County and a temple dedicated to the worship of Confucius. It was established in the third year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1370) by Magistrate Wu Zhong and Instructor Li Xin at its current site.

The original Panyu Confucian Temple was grand in scale, spanning three roadways in width and five courtyards in depth. The central axis mainly included a screen wall, the Lingxing Gate, a crescent pool with an arched bridge, the Dacheng Gate, the Dacheng Hall, the Chongsheng Hall, and the Zunjing Pavilion; the left section mainly comprised the Confucian Academy, the Minglun Hall, the Guangji Hall, and the Memorial Hall for Distinguished Officials; the right section mainly had the Memorial Hall for Chastity and Filial Piety, the Instructor’s Office, the Loyalty, Righteousness, Filial Piety, and Fraternity Memorial Hall, the Archery Ground, and the Memorial Hall for Local Sages, among others. The entire complex was surrounded by palace walls. The Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Hall, and stele corridor originally had green-glazed tile roofs, but during the 33rd year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty (1907), these were replaced with yellow-glazed tiles. In the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906), the northern and northwestern parts of the Confucian Temple were converted into the Bagui Middle School. The Zunjing Pavilion, Archery Ground, and others have been completely lost, and the screen wall in front of the gate was demolished when the road was built.

The existing structures are those along the central axis, which were rebuilt on a leveled foundation during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. Along the central line from south to north, the first structure is the Lingxing Gate, a six-pillar, three-door, sky-piercing stone memorial archway adorned with carvings such as cloud and dragon motifs, displaying fine craftsmanship. Between the stone archways is a high red sandstone wall. Upon entering the Lingxing Gate, one sees the crescent pool with an arched bridge. The crescent pool is a semi-circular water basin. The emperor could use a round “bi water” surface, as seen in structures like the Mingtang and Biyong halls. Temples like Confucian shrines, being of princely rank, could only have a crescent pool. The bridge over the crescent pool at Panyu Confucian Temple is a single-arch stone bridge, rebuilt in the 13th year of the Hongwu era (1380) and renovated in the 15th year of the Daoguang era (1835). The bridge is about ten meters long and has an elegant design.

About 30 meters past the arched bridge is the Dacheng Gate. The Dacheng Gate is a single-eave, flush-gable roof structure, spanning five bays in width (22.7 meters) and two bays in depth (7.89 meters). It features eight rafters divided into three central columns. It employs six-tiered bracket sets with single angling arms and double downward-projecting cantilevers. The rear section has three angling arms in a theft-style configuration. The bracket arms are 99 centimeters high, and the eave pillars are 431 centimeters tall, giving a ratio of 99:431 = 1:4.36, characteristic of Ming Dynasty bracket proportions. The central bay uses two filler bracket sets, while the side and corner bays each use one, retaining remnants of Song Dynasty design. The overall structure follows a divided-heart bracket base slot configuration. The column bases are 56 centimeters high, with stone at the bottom and wooden elements above, remade during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. Overall, the Dacheng Gate still preserves the style of the early Ming period. The roof is covered with yellow-glazed tiles, featuring circular dragon tiles and peony-patterned drip tiles. The main ridge and gable ridges are all colorful glazed floral ridges, crafted in the 13th year of the Guangxu era (1887) by Wén Rúbì of Foshan. The ends of the main ridge feature kui-dragon motifs and upside-down ao fish, while the center ridge finial is a treasure pearl.

Beyond the Dacheng Gate lies the Dacheng Hall. “Dacheng,” meaning “Great Achievement,” signifies Confucius’s culmination of ancient culture. The Dacheng Hall is the main hall dedicated to the worship of Confucius, with Yan Hui and three other disciples also enshrined here. Other notable Confucian scholars are honored in the side halls between the Dacheng Gate and the Dacheng Hall.

The Dacheng Hall is built upon a 1.55-meter-high stone platform, surrounded by stone railings. The front terrace is 14.88 meters wide and 14.22 meters deep. The stone railings and panels around the terrace and platform feature exquisite carvings, decorated with hidden Eight Immortals patterns on the panels, showcasing a cultural landscape that blends Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. The Dacheng Hall spans five bays (24.72 meters) in width and three bays (14.22 meters) in depth, with 14 rafters across three bays using four central columns. It has a single-eave, hip-and-gable roof. Similar to the Dacheng Gate, the filler bracket sets on the front and rear eaves consist of two in the central bay, and one each in the side and corner bays, preserving Song Dynasty practices. The gable bays have three filler brackets in the central bay, deviating from Song style. The bracket arms are 101 centimeters high, and the eave pillars are 439 centimeters tall, with a ratio of 101:439 = 1:4.37, typical of the Ming Dynasty. The Dacheng Hall’s wing corners use parallel rafters, an ancient method predating the Northern and Southern Dynasties, no longer used in northern architecture after the Tang Dynasty. The beams, brackets, and bracket arms of the Dacheng Hall largely retain the early Ming style: using curved beams, bracket supports, bracket blocks with notches, using purlin plates, stone bases with wooden elements, and angled pillars, among others. However, some traces of Qing Dynasty renovations are also visible.

The Dacheng Hall is covered with yellow-glazed tiles, and its main ridge, vertical ridges, and hip ridges are all adorned with colorful glazed roof ridges. The ends of the main ridge feature kui-dragon motifs and double ao fish, with a central motif of two dragons playing with a pearl. The decorative themes of the main ridge are rich and diverse, including hidden Eight Immortals patterns, peony flowers symbolizing wealth, bats representing happiness, and immortal peaches signifying longevity. Below the treasure pearl on the main ridge finial, the characters “Fu Lu Shou” (prosperity, wealth, and longevity) highlight the theme. The ridge also bears the inscriptions “Guangxu Wushen” and “Made by Wén Rúbì,” with the additional characters “Peace” and “Fortune and Longevity” at the ends. “Guangxu Wushen” refers to the 34th year of the Guangxu era (1908), designed and created by Wén Rúbì, a master of Foshan’s glazed craft industry. The double-dragon-with-pearl ridge decoration of the Dacheng Hall is one of the representative works of Guangdong’s Qing Dynasty glazed roof ridges.

The Chongsheng Hall, originally called the Qisheng Hall, was renamed Chongsheng Hall in the first year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty. It was used to worship the five generations of Confucius’s ancestors. The hall spans five bays in width and three bays in depth. Built on a raised platform with a front terrace, its railing panels also feature hidden Eight Immortals designs. It has a hip-and-gable roof and a kui-dragon and double ao fish flame bead ridge, covered with yellow-glazed tiles. The structure reflects Qing Dynasty architectural style.

The eastern section still retains the Minglun Hall and Guangji Hall, both featuring flush-gable roofs, blue brick bases, stone plinths, and wooden structures. The back eastern wall of the Guangji Hall has six stone steles embedded in it.

In May 1926, the 6th Peasant Movement Training Institute was held here, with Mao Zedong serving as the director. Instructors included Xiao Chunü, Peng Pai, Yun Daiying, Li Lisan, and Ruan Xiaoxian.

In 1961, it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Attraction Location

Inside the Guangzhou Peasant Movement Institute, 42 Zhongshan 4th Road, Guangzhou