Yutai Confucius Temple

　　Yutai Confucius Temple is situated within the campus of Yutai No. 2 Middle School in Yucheng Town. It was first built in 1757 (the 22nd year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty). The main structure, the Dacheng Hall, is 23.7 meters long, 15.3 meters wide, and 15.5 meters high, covering a floor area of 362 square meters. The architectural style is a five-ridged hip-and-gable roof, featuring seven bays and 42 pillars, each with a diameter of 42 centimeters. It has a single-layered flying eave covered with green glazed tiles, and the front center is adorned with a yellow-glazed diamond-patterned design. The flying eaves are decorated with pottery beasts, while at both ends of the roof ridge stand opposing “two dragons.” The interior and exterior are fitted with brackets, featuring double upward-facing arches in vibrant colors. On both the eastern and western sides of the hall are side halls (Wu), each with nine bays, with the Jiemen (Gate of Spears) and Lingxingmen (Gate of the Spirit Star) gates, each three bays wide, located at the front. In the center lies the Pan Pond, flanked on the east and west by the Temple of Meritorious Officials, the Temple of Local Sages, the Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness, and the Temple of Chastity and Filial Piety. To the northeast of the hall stands the Qisheng Temple, and behind it is the Minglun Hall, with the Jingyi Pavilion located further behind. The Confucius Temple complex is enclosed by walls. The colorful screen wall directly in front of the Dacheng Hall is decorated with images of nine dragons and two phoenixes, vividly rendered. In front of the screen wall lies the Qingyun Bridge. South of the bridge, along the northern side of Yucheng’s East-West Main Street, stands the Wenming Archway (Archway of Civilized Origins), featuring flying eaves and colorful paintings, inscribed with the characters “Qian Gu Dao Yuan” (The Eternal Source of the Way). In May 1938, during the Japanese attack on the county town, artillery fire destroyed two central bays of the Dacheng Hall. In the spring of 1942, the Yutai County Confucius-Mencius Society funded the restoration. Between 1945 and 1948, the auxiliary structures were successively demolished, leaving only the Dacheng Hall today. In October 1985, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit, and in 1994, it was listed as a provincial-level protected site.