Confucius Temple in Hanyin County

　　The Confucius Temple is a place dedicated to the worship of "the Great Sage and Foremost Teacher, Confucius." In the 27th year of the Kaiyuan era during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Confucius was posthumously honored as the Duke of Wenxuan, so the temple was called the Duke of Wenxuan Temple. After the Ming Dynasty, it came to be known as the Confucius Temple, and our county continues to use this name.

　　The Confucius Temple in Hanyin County is located on East Main Street in the town, facing south with its back to the north, and is one of the largest temples in the county. At the center of the temple stands the "Dacheng Hall," where the spirit tablet of Confucius is enshrined. The foundation of Dacheng Hall is lofty and majestic, with upturned eaves and dragon heads at the four corners, beneath which hang bronze bells. The hall is surrounded by corridors two meters wide, under which stand twelve coiling-dragon pillars. Inside the hall are four massive pillars, each requiring two people to encircle. The hall features carved beams and painted rafters, resplendent in gold and grandeur, with ancient cypresses and pines in front, making for an imposing and majestic sight. To the east and west of Dacheng Hall are two side halls①. The left side hall (east) houses the "Changing Room Pavilion," while the right side hall (west) contains the "Classic Respect Pavilion." In front is the Jimen Gate, along with shrines for meritorious officials and local worthies. Behind the hall is the "Enlightened Sages Shrine" (where ancestors of Confucius are worshipped). To the right of the Jimen Gate stands a three-legged iron tripod about two feet high, with a capacity of approximately five pecks. Later, it lost two legs and one ear, and was repurposed as a brazier②. Upon entering the second gate of the Confucius Temple, one can find the "Three-Step Double-Arch Bridge" and the "Tree Where Birds Perch on Climbing Cypresses"—two of the town’s “Little Eight Scenic Spots”—offering a serene and elegant atmosphere.

　　The Hanyin Confucius Temple was first built in the Renzi year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1372) and was renovated again during the Yongle era. Subsequently, during the Hongzhi, Jiajing, and Wanli eras, it underwent multiple renovations. After several reconstructions, it reached a grand scale by the 10th year of the Chongzhen era (1637), but was destroyed in warfare, leaving only the main hall, the Jimen Gate, and the Lingxing Gate. In the 12th year of the Chongzhen era (1639), Magistrate Zhang Peng’ao rebuilt the side halls, as well as the shrines for meritorious officials and local worthies. In the early years of the Qing Shunzhi era (approximately 1645–1648), Magistrate Ma Zhulin renovated the main hall. During the Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Jiaqing eras, additional constructions and repairs were carried out, completing its grand structure. By the 16th year of the Guangxu era (1890), Tongpan Huang Guojun further expanded it on the existing foundation, maintaining its grandeur until the Republican era.

　　In the autumn of 1936 (the 25th year of the Republic of China), the site of Hanyin Middle School was initially located in the neighboring Mawang Temple next to the Confucius Temple. In 1937 (the 26th year of the Republic of China), due to an increase in student numbers, the school was moved to the Confucius Temple. Dacheng Hall became the school auditorium, and the other buildings were demolished and rebuilt over time, developing into its current scale. For over half a century, it nurtured a large number of talented individuals for the county. Today, only Dacheng Hall of the Confucius Temple remains, and it is one of the county’s key protected cultural relics.

　　Confucius was a thinker, statesman, and educator in China’s Spring and Autumn period and is ranked first among the world’s top ten thinkers. He is one of the main representatives of traditional Chinese culture, and later generations revered him as the "Exemplary Teacher for All Ages." The tradition of worshipping Confucius has been passed down through generations. Hanyin was no exception. Every year on the 27th day of the eighth lunar month (traditionally believed to be Confucius’s birthday), it was the county’s day for Confucius worship. Those with scholarly honors, degrees, and local dignitaries would gather in the mountain city the day before to prepare for the grand Confucius worship ceremony. On that morning, presided over by the officiating official, an incense table was set up in front of Dacheng Hall, with offerings of whole pigs and whole sheep. The county magistrate led the ceremony, with other officials, scholars, and gentry assisting. After the Xinhai Revolution, even general students participated in the ceremony, and they sang the "Great Unity Song," which goes: "When the great way prevails, the world is for all..." After the ceremony, each participating student was given half a jin of sacrificial meat④ as a gesture of respect for teachers and the promotion of Confucian teachings.

　　It is said that since the Qing Dynasty, Hanyin natives who served as officials elsewhere would return home to visit relatives, but first had to change clothes at the Confucius Temple, then cross the arched bridge, ascend the stone steps, and worship Confucius in Dacheng Hall before returning home. In 1939 (the 28th year of the Republic of China), the government designated Confucius’s birthday as "Teachers' Day," but due to the Japanese invasion and the severity of the national crisis, it could not be implemented.

　　Feudal ruling classes used the reverence for Confucius to win over intellectuals in order to maintain their rule. During times of theocratic dominance, even Confucius was cloaked with a "divine" veil. In 1549 (the 28th year of the Jiajing era), during the reconstruction of the Confucius Temple, an inscription on a stele read: "It is said that if Confucius had never been born, the world would have remained in eternal darkness. Any being capable of perception and movement knows that Confucius is both respectable and venerable." It also stated: "This is why we honor Confucius. Moreover, when worshipping the divine, it is as if the divine is present; one does not offer to what is improper. The spirit of Confucius is as lofty as the heavens, as vast as the earth, and as enduring as the sun."

　　On the east side of the Confucius Temple, in the 42nd year of the Kangxi era (1703), the Honggong (i.e., school) was built. In the 9th year of the Yongzheng era (1731), Honggong was renovated, and an inscription on a stele reads: "Rising phoenixes and soaring dragons, a flourishing of exceptional talent," expressing the aspiration to build a fine school. Culture flourished, and exceptional talent abounded. Around the 22nd year of the Daoguang era (1842), during the renovation of Honggong, another stele inscription read: "In the affairs of the world, some rise and some fall, but those matters related to established laws and norms will only rise, never fall." This meant that while other things may come and go, building schools and nurturing talent—matters related to laws and regulations—must only flourish, never be abandoned. This illustrates that education is a critical policy for a county’s revitalization and must not be taken lightly. This point holds relevance for us even today.

　　Throughout history, insightful individuals have regarded the Confucius Temple as a place to uphold Confucianism, value righteousness, and nurture talent. The veneration of Confucius has been closely linked with the promotion of education. Hence, on the left side of our county’s Confucius Temple stands Honggong, the highest educational institution in Hanyin during the late Qing Dynasty. The small alley opposite the Confucius Temple, named "Hongxue Lane" (now called "Hongxue Alley"), was where talented students lived together while studying at Hongxue. Hongxue can be considered the cradle of education in our county.