Meng Mansion

　　   Meng Mansion, also called the Mansion of the Second Sage, is situated west of the Meng Temple and served as the home of the direct descendants of Mencius. It has a rectangular floor plan with an area of about 22,000 square meters. The architectural layout is rigorous, featuring seven courtyards in sequence. There are over 200 structures including towers, halls, pavilions, and rooms. The main buildings are located along the central axis: the front section served as government offices, mainly consisting of the main gate, second gate, ceremonial gate, and east and west wing rooms; the middle section was the inner residence, featuring key buildings such as the Shien Hall, Imperial Book Tower, Upper Room Courtyard, and Yanlu Tower; the rear section is a garden.

　　   Meng Mansion is located south of Zou County’s southern gate, adjacent to the Meng Temple, and was the residence of the direct descendants of Mencius. In the second year of the Zhi Shun era of the Yuan Dynasty (1331 AD), Emperor Wenzong conferred upon Mencius the title “Second Sage of Zou,” from which time the mansion also became known as the Mansion of the Second Sage. The exact date of the mansion’s initial construction is unknown. According to the “Meng Clan Genealogical Stele” dating to the sixth year of the Hongwu era (1373 AD) housed in the Meng Temple: “In the fourth year of Emperor Jing’s reign during the Song Dynasty, Confucian official Kong Daofu, while serving as magistrate of Yanzhou, visited the tomb of the Second Sage on the sunny side of Siji Mountain and discovered the 45th-generation descendant Meng Ning. He recommended him to the court, where he was appointed as a low-ranking official to oversee the Zou County office and maintain the ancestral temple. While renovating his old residence, broken walls were repaired, revealing a hidden family genealogy.” This indicates that the mansion had already been built during the Jingyou years of the Northern Song Dynasty, though the specific location of the original residence is not mentioned. It is speculated that the mansion was relocated at the same time as the third reconstruction of the Meng Temple in the fourth year of the Jinghe era (1122 AD).

　　   Meng Mansion is located west of the Meng Temple, with a rectangular layout stretching 226 meters from north to south and 99 meters from east to west, covering an area of about 40,000 square meters. There are seven courtyards in total, with 148 rooms including towers, halls, pavilions, and chambers. The main hall serves as the dividing line between the front official compound and the rear inner residence. A stone tablet from the 37th year of the Wanli era (1609 AD) inscribed with “Petition for Continued Exemption in Accordance with Precedent to Prevent Harassment” is embedded in the eastern wall inside the second gate. The inscription details the imperial-bestowed personnel—such as temple households, ritual attendants, tenant farmers, cleaners, and runners—who were not to be harassed. Additionally, the “Imperial Book Tower” located in the fourth courtyard is a typical Ming Dynasty structure, confirming that the mansion already had considerable scale during the Ming era.

　　   The main gate of Meng Mansion has three bays, with a plaque hanging centrally on the lintel inscribed with the three gold-plated characters “Mansion of the Second Sage.” The black-painted gate is adorned with life-sized painted door gods nearly two meters tall. Outside the gate stands a tall screen wall. A pair of exquisitely carved stone lions guard either side of the entrance. On both sides of the steps are square stone pedestals used for mounting horses or boarding carriages.

　　   The second gate, also known as the “Gate of Rites,” shares a similar architectural form with the main gate, but its gateway has three panels. The central lintel bears the inscription “Gate of Rites, Path of Righteousness.” The six black-painted doors feature armor-clad warriors wielding swords in the center two panels, while the four side panels depict civil officials holding ceremonial tablets, all rendered in vivid colors, exuding authority and grandeur. Inside the second gate lies the “Ceremonial Gate,” which is not connected to the surrounding walls and resembles a decorative entryway. It is entirely made of wood, supported by just two pillars with stone drums at the base, bearing a large painted roof adorned with four hanging wooden floral ornaments at the front and back, hence also called the “Hanging Flower Gate.” This gate remains closed at ordinary times, only being opened on grand celebratory occasions in the mansion, during imperial visits, formal readings of imperial edicts, or major sacrificial ceremonies, preceded by thirteen ceremonial cannon shots. Such ceremonial gates were traditionally reserved for feudal lords enfeoffed with titles, thus it also earned the name “Sealed Gate.”

　　   Passing through the Ceremonial Gate, there is a square platform in the courtyard flanked by intricately carved Kui-dragon stone railings and a green-brick flower wall encircling the red steps. Two towering ancient cypresses on either side of the pathway shade the area. At the southeast corner of the red steps stands a sundial, and at the southwest corner, a measuring vessel, both modeled after those found in the imperial palace. Behind these is the spacious five-bay front hall with eaves, the main building of Meng Mansion—the Great Hall. The central front eave of the hall hangs a plaque inscribed with the words “Seven Chapters Bestow Rectitude,” bestowed by Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty upon Meng Yantai, the 65th-generation descendant of Mencius. The golden characters with dragon-patterned borders shine brilliantly. On the beams under the eaves on both sides hang a couplet in clerical script: “Continuing the past and opening the future, a thousand years of private tutelage inherit protection; abiding in benevolence and following righteousness, generations revere the valor of ancestors.” The Great Hall served as the venue where the hereditary Hanlin Academy Doctors of the Five Classics from the Mencius lineage read imperial edicts, received government officials, enforced family rules and clan regulations, and held important ceremonies during festivals and birthdays. At the center of the hall is a wooden heated chamber containing the official desk.

　　   On the east and west sides of the Great Hall are offices for managing Meng Mansion’s ritual fields, general affairs, ritual attendants, musicians, scribes, and ceremonial assistants. To the left and right of the Great Hall are drum and music towers used for performances. On the east side of the Great Hall is a separate courtyard called the “Five Generations Ancestral Hall,” serving as the family shrine for the Meng clan. To the west is a uniquely L-shaped building named the “Mountain-Viewing Hall,” which was used by Mencius descendants to receive and entertain guests. Opposite the Mountain-Viewing Hall, outside the Moon Gate, stands an exquisite Taihu rock inscribed with classical poems handwritten by Qing Dynasty epigrapher Ruan Yuan and calligrapher Kong Jiliu.

　　   Behind the Great Hall lies the inner residence of Meng Mansion, separated from the outside by an inner residence gate—a strictly guarded forbidden gate generally off-limits to outsiders. The outer eaves of the inner gate are carved with patterns such as “Carp Leaping Through the Dragon Gate” and “Qilin Bringing a Child.” Hanging upside down on both sides are exquisitely crafted ornamental beads. Leading up to the inner residence gate is a secluded path, flanked on both sides by corner gates called “Duty Paths,” which were used by night watchmen patrolling the inner residence.

　　   The first courtyard of the inner residence is a classic Chinese quadrangle, once the dwelling of Meng Fanzhi, the 74th-generation descendant of Mencius. With its carved beams and painted rafters, the lavishly decorated main hall—called the Shien Hall—features a layout of three visible and five hidden bays. The interior displays antiques, calligraphy, paintings, beds, and cabinets. In the southeast corner of the courtyard stands an ancient, towering lilac tree that blooms with white flowers in spring and summer, filling the air with a fragrant scent. Behind the courtyard is the Imperial Book Tower, where the descendants of the Meng family stored imperial calligraphy, books, and family archives. Further back are four more quadrangles including the “Yanlu Tower,” all serving as residences for close members of the Meng clan. The final section is the mansion’s garden.

　　   Both the Meng Temple and Meng Mansion still preserve a wealth of precious cultural relics bestowed by feudal emperors, including court robes, dragon robes, imperial edicts, noble titles, family archives, woodblock prints, and books and paintings. These provide valuable material for studying the history of China’s feudal society.

　　Mencius (372 BCE~289 BCE)　　   Mencius (circa 372–289 BCE), a philosopher, statesman, and educator of the Warring States period, was a representative figure of the Confucian School of Mencius. His given name was Ke, courtesy name Ziyu. He was a native of Zou in the State of Lu (present-day southeastern Zou County, Shandong Province). Considered the successor to Confucius’ teachings, he is honored as the “Second Sage.” Legend has it that Mencius was a descendant of the noble Mengsun clan of the State of Lu. Orphaned at a young age and raised in poverty, he studied under a disciple of Zisi. After completing his studies, he traveled among the feudal lords as a scholar, attempting to promote his political ideals. He visited the states of Liang (Wei), Qi, Song, and Teng. Although he was once honored as a guest minister by King Xuan of Qi, he ultimately went unrecognized. In his later years, he retired to teach and... More+