Junxian Confucius Temple

　　    Also known as the "Temple of Confucius" or the "Literary Mansion," it was built in 1373 (the sixth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty) to the east of the county government office. It was expanded during both the Ming and Qing dynasties, gradually becoming grander and more complete in scale. The temple faces south and is situated on a spacious site with a compact layout. A stone tablet inscribed with "Here all civil and military officials must dismount" is embedded in the wall in front of the gate, showing reverence for Confucius. Inside the first gate stands an ancient locust tree from the Tang Dynasty, with a trunk diameter of over four meters, hollow inside but still full of vitality and lush greenery. Inside the trunk grows an elm tree about one foot in diameter, commonly called the "Locust Embracing Elm." At the center of the courtyard is the "Hall of Great Achievement," where plaques of Confucius, his Four Associates, and Twelve Wise Disciples are enshrined. The east and west corridors house plaques for Confucius’ 72 disciples. The Hall of Great Achievement and the corridor buildings are large in scale, featuring simple yet solemn and dignified ancient architectural styles. It is a famous ancient structure in Junxian and is now a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit.

　　Confucius (551 BCE~479 BCE)　　     Confucius (551–479 BCE), whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was born in Zouyi (present-day southeast of Qufu, Shandong Province), a town in Changping, the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period. He was a philosopher, educator, and statesman in the late Spring and Autumn Period, the founder of Confucianism, and one of the most influential figures in Chinese history and culture. His influence also extends globally, particularly across Southeast Asia, making him one of the world’s cultural icons. Confucius’ ancestors were from the Wei clan; his earliest known ancestor was Weizi Qi, the half-brother of the last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou. Weizi Qi inherited the Shang lineage and was enfeoffed in the State of Song. His sixth-generation ancestor, Kong Fu Jia, was the first to adopt the surname Kong. His fifth-generation ancestor, Mu Jin Fu, fled to the State of Lu and eventually settled in Zouyi. His father, Shuliang He, was a renowned warrior in Lu known for his bravery and strength, which earned him fame among feudal lords in his later years... More+

　　Source: Official Website of the Junxian County Government