The Confucius Temple Complex

　　The Confucius Temple, also known as the Holy Temple or Temple of Confucius, was first built in the 13th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (725). In the 4th year of the Changqing era (824), County Magistrate Xing Shenrong carried out the first renovation (there are original stone inscriptions documenting this). During the Song Dynasty, Li ? renovated it again and had the imperial "Eight Virtues and Eight Punishments" stele erected within. In the Yuan Dynasty, Quan San further renovated it. During the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era (1522–1566), Kong Zhenning, the 63rd-generation descendant of Confucius, relocated to Wenshang. As the eldest branch of the 64th generation in Qufu held the title of Duke Yansheng, the descendants in Wenshang were also granted hereditary official ranks such as those in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Doctors of the Five Classics, and sixth-rank officials (all higher than that of a county magistrate). As a result, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the temple was continuously renovated and expanded in imitation of the Qufu Confucius Temple, forming a grand architectural complex centered around the Dacheng Hall. It covers an area of over 20,000 square meters, making it second in scale only to the Qufu Confucius Temple complex.

　　The existing Dacheng Hall is a Ming Dynasty structure, measuring 23.5 meters in length, 13 meters in width, and 11.6 meters in height. It features a flush-gable roof, 7 bays and 32 pillars, a single-story flying eave, and is covered with green glazed tiles. The front is adorned with yellow glazed tile diamond patterns. Both the interior and exterior are fitted with bracket sets, featuring double-angled straight brackets. The bracket sets and flying eaves are painted, and the roof ridges and eaves are decorated with figures and birds or beasts. Inside the hall hangs a large plaque inscribed with “Exemplar for All Ages,” and at the center stands a statue of Confucius, flanked by statues of the Four Companions and Twelve Philosophers. At the front is the Jiemen (also called the Dacheng Gate), a 5-bay single-eave painted gate. Behind it is the painted Minglun Hall with 7 bays, which served as the lecture hall for the county school. The center of the hall features a plaque inscribed with “Minglun Hall,” said to be written by the great Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty. On both sides of the hall’s terrace are East and West Side Halls, each with 12 bays, housing memorial tablets of Confucius’ disciples and revered sages and scholars throughout the dynasties. Other structures include the Wenming Archway, East and West Huamen Gates, Lingxing Gate, Zhanxian Archway, Yangsheng Archway, Temple of Meritorious Officials and Local Sages, Temple of Chastity and Filial Piety, Temple of the Sage’s Father, Temple of Wenchang, Bowu Studio, Yaoli Studio, residences for the Education Officer and Instructor, Jingyi Pavilion, Jiange Historian’s Office, Archery Field, and School Granary. The courtyard is filled with stone tablets and shaded by ancient cypresses. The front Wenming Archway is inscribed with “Supreme Harmony and Vital Force,” the East and West Huamen Gates with “Virtue Matches Heaven and Earth, Path Leads All Times,” and outside the wall in front of the Lingxing Gate are stone railings and two stone tablets inscribed with “All Officials and Others Must Dismount Here.” During the Republican period and the Japanese puppet regime, minor repairs were made to the aforementioned structures. After the liberation in 1948, most were demolished due to school renovations and street expansions, and many stone tablets were buried in the Pan Pond in front of the Jiemen and underground in the eastern part of the courtyard. Today, only the Dacheng Hall, Jiemen, Minglun Hall, Temple of Meritorious Officials and Local Sages, Temple of Chastity and Filial Piety, and one Yuan Dynasty stele titled “Record of the Reconstruction of the Holy Temple” remain.

　　In 1993, the Confucius Temple underwent restoration, and Kong Demao, the 77th-generation direct granddaughter, inscribed the plaque for the Jiemen.