Beijing Confucius Temple

　　A place for worshipping Confucius during China’s Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Located on Guozijian Street in Dongcheng District, Beijing.

　　Beijing Confucius Temple (19 photos) Built in the sixth year of Yuandade (1302) and completed in the tenth year. Reconstructed in the ninth year of the Yongle era (1411) during the Ming Dynasty. The main hall was renovated during the Xuande, Jiajing, and Wanli eras, and the Chongsheng Shrine was added. It was further renovated during the Shunzhi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong reigns of the Qing Dynasty. In the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906), the worship of Confucius was elevated to the highest level, and the main hall was expanded. Although the temple has been renovated through various dynasties, its structure largely retains the style of the Yuan Dynasty. There are three courtyards inside the gate, and the central axis structures from south to north are: Dacheng Gate, Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Gate, and Chongsheng Shrine. There are 198 stone tablets inscribed with the names of successful imperial examination candidates from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, serving as important historical documents for studying ancient China’s imperial examination system. The Confucius Temple has been open to the public for visits since 1928. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, it was listed as a municipal cultural relics protection unit and later became the Capital Museum.

　　A national key cultural relics protection unit. Located on Guozijian Street in Dongcheng District, Beijing. Covers an area of 22,000 square meters. Renovated many times throughout history, it served as the worship site for Confucius during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, also known as the "Temple of the First Teacher." The temple faces south and its main gate is called the First Teachers’ Gate, which retains the architectural style of the Yuan Dynasty. In front are glazed walls and a dismounting stele. To the east and west inside the gate are stele pavilions, divine kitchens, divine storehouses, and 118 stone tablets inscribed with the names of successful imperial examination candidates from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, recording over 50,000 scholars. Entering through the Dacheng Gate to the second courtyard, the main hall is called Dacheng Hall, the principal structure of the Confucius Temple. It has nine bays in width and five in depth, with a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. The front terrace has three flights of steps, and the hall enshrines Confucius along with the “Four Accompanying Worthies” and “Twelve Philosophers.” There is an ancient cypress tree in front of the hall, over 600 years old, known as the “Exorcising Cypress” or “Touching Cypress.” There is also an ancient well, named “Inkstone Lake” by Emperor Qianlong. Behind Dacheng Hall is the Chongsheng Shrine, which forms its own courtyard and was used for worshipping Confucius’s ancestors. It is now part of the Capital Museum, exhibiting precious cultural relics unearthed in the Beijing area.

　　Inside Beijing’s Andingmen is Guozijian Street, also known as Chengxian Street. This street has four authentic Qing Dynasty single-story painted wooden archways, making it the Beijing street with the most and best-preserved archways. Locust trees line the street, providing dense shade and the fragrance of blossoms. Beijing Confucius Temple is located at the eastern end of this street.

　　Long history: Over 700 years

　　The Confucius Temple is a shrine dedicated to Confucius, the renowned philosopher, educator, and world cultural figure. With a long heritage, Beijing Confucius Temple was first built in the sixth year of Yuandade (1302 AD) and completed in the tenth year (1306 AD), initially taking shape. The Chongsheng Shrine was built in the ninth year of the Jiajing era (1530 AD) during the Ming Dynasty to enshrine Confucius’s five-generation ancestors. In the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906 AD) during the Qing Dynasty, Dacheng Hall was expanded, and the temple reached its current scale. The entire Confucius Temple is divided into three courtyards, covering approximately 22,000 square meters, and follows a traditional Chinese architectural layout with the main buildings situated along the central axis and symmetrical on both sides. Over these 700 years, it became a sacred place where rulers of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties respected Confucius, promoted Confucianism, advocated education, and fostered culture. It also became a hallowed hall for countless scholars striving for scholarly honor. This group of royal ancient buildings, even older than the Forbidden City, encapsulates the essence of a thousand years of Confucian culture and freezes in time the long journey of the imperial examination system. Strolling through the Confucius Temple, shaded by ancient cypresses, surrounded by stone tablets, and standing on lofty foundations and grand halls, one can distance themselves from the noise of the city, touch the pulse of history and culture, and feel the profundity of traditional Chinese culture with a serene and indifferent heart—truly a refined experience.

　　Magnificent architecture: Showcasing imperial grandeur

　　The main structures of Beijing Confucius Temple are covered with yellow glazed tiles, representing the highest architectural standards of feudal society. The entire temple complex is scientifically laid out, grand in scale, and exudes imperial majesty.

　　The First Teachers’ Gate (also called Lingxing Gate) is the main entrance to the Confucius Temple. It has three bays in width and seven rafters in depth, with a single-eaved hip-and-gable roof, largely retaining the architectural style of the Yuan Dynasty. The gate is connected on both sides to the outer walls of the temple complex, resembling a city gate. Upon entering the First Teachers’ Gate, you are greeted by the Dacheng Gate. Created in the Yuan Dynasty and renovated in the Qing Dynasty, the Dacheng Gate has five bays in width and nine rafters in depth, with a single-eaved hip-and-gable roof. The entire building sits on a high brick and stone platform, with a raised central path stone intricately carved with a sea dragon and pearl design, featuring five dragons playing with a pearl, vividly rendered. On both sides of the front porch of the Dacheng Gate are 10 stone drums, each engraved with an ancient hunting poem. These were replicated in the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty from the remnants of the Zhou Xuanwang-era stone drums from the 8th century BC. The indecipherable text and profound poetry are likely fully understood only by the learned Confucius himself. The first courtyard was used by emperors for preparatory activities before worshipping Confucius. Its eastern side houses a slaughtering pavilion, a well pavilion, and a divine kitchen for preparing the sacrificial animals. On both sides are divine storehouses and preparation rooms for storing ritual utensils and preparing offerings.

　　The second courtyard is the central courtyard of the Confucius Temple. During major Confucius worship ceremonies, this area would resonate with bells and drums, ceremonial music, dancing, and dignified processions. Dacheng Hall is the main structure of the second courtyard and the central building of the entire temple complex, also the most sacred hall. Originally built in the sixth year of Yuandade (1302 AD), it was later destroyed in war and rebuilt in the ninth year of the Yongle era (1411 AD). In the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906 AD), the hall was expanded from seven to nine bays. The interior is paved with golden bricks, and the ceiling features a coffered design with dragon motifs, representing the highest architectural grade of China’s feudal society, comparable to the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. The hall enshrines the wooden spirit tablet of Confucius as the “Great Achiever, Sage, and Literary King,” with accompanying tablets for the “Four Accompanying Worthies” and “Twelve Philosophers” on either side. In front of the spirit tablets is an altar with ritual vessels such as zun, jue, you, bian, and dou, all genuine artifacts made during the Qianlong era. The interior and exterior of the hall hang imperial plaques bestowed by nine emperors from the Kangxi to the Xuantong reigns, each inscribed with a four-character eulogy personally written by the emperor in praise of Confucius—these are precious cultural relics.

　　The third courtyard of the Confucius Temple is the most distinctive, consisting of the Chongsheng Gate, Chongsheng Hall, and side halls forming an independent and complete courtyard. It is distinctly separated from but naturally transitions to the first two courtyards, reflecting the ingenious architectural planning of ancient builders. This complex is called the Chongsheng Shrine, a family temple for worshipping Confucius’s five-generation ancestors. Built in the ninth year of the Jiajing era (1530 AD) during the Ming Dynasty, it was renovated in the second year of the Qianlong era (1737 AD), when the gray-tiled roof was replaced with green glazed tiles. Chongsheng Hall, also called the Five Generations Shrine, has five bays in width and seven rafters in depth. In front is a spacious terrace with ten steps on each of its three sides. The hall enshrines the spirit tablets of Confucius’s five-generation ancestors and those of the “Four Accompanying Worthies” and other revered scholars. The inner sanctum also honors the fathers of these ancient sages.

　　The three courtyards and their structures have clear hierarchical distinctions and functional zoning, harmoniously forming a complete set of imperial worship architecture, representing outstanding examples of ancient Chinese architecture.

　　Valuable historical records: Many notable steles document history

　　With over 700 years of cultural accumulation, the Confucius Temple has preserved invaluable relics that serve as crucial historical materials and artifacts for studying ancient China’s imperial examinations and Confucian teachings.

　　On both sides of the central path in the first courtyard are 198 tall steles inscribed with the names of successful imperial examination candidates, divided into four sections. Among them, there are three from the Yuan Dynasty, 77 from the Ming Dynasty, and 118 from the Qing Dynasty. These steles record the names, hometowns, and rankings of 51,624 successful candidates from the three dynasties. Among them are notable figures such as Zhang Juzheng, Yu Qian, Xu Guangqi, Yan Song, Ji Yun, Liu Yong, and modern figures like Liu Chunlin and Shen Junru. Walking through this centuries-spanning forest of steles, gently touching their weathered surfaces, and gazing at the faded inscriptions, one cannot help but lament, “Each era produces its own talents who lead for centuries.”

　　In the alley between the Confucius Temple and the Guozijian (the ancient imperial university), there is a forest of 189 tall stone steles. These steles are inscribed with Confucian classics: the Book of Changes, Book of Documents, Book of Songs, Rites of Zhou, Etiquette and Ceremonial, Book of Rites, Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Gongyang Commentary, Guliang Commentary, Analects, Classic of Filial Piety, Mencius, and Erya. The original version of this stone scripture was handwritten by Jiang Heng, a scholar from Jintan, Jiangsu, during the Yongzheng era, over 12 years. In the 56th year of Qianlong (1791 AD), an imperial decree was issued to carve these scriptures into stone. The entire collection contains over 630,000 characters, massive in scale, with neat regular script, superior accuracy in content, and exquisite carving quality, surpassing the “Kaicheng Stone Classics” of Xi’an, and ranking as the second-largest stone scripture collection in China after the Xi’an Stele Forest. Legend says Emperor Qianlong appointed He Shen and Wang Jie as chief editors, with Peng Yuanrui and Liu Yong as deputy editors to proofread the scriptures. Peng Yuanrui compared Jiang Heng’s handwritten version with Song and Yuan dynasty editions of the Thirteen Classics, correcting vernacular characters to classical ones, refining and standardizing the text, greatly enhancing its classical elegance—earning Qianlong’s praise and the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. This enraged He Shen, who ordered his men to scrape off all the corrected classical characters from the steles overnight. It wasn’t until after He Shen’s downfall that the classical characters were restored, though traces of the scraping remain visible today.

　　On the western side of the path is an ancient well. Its petal-shaped stone platform is made of bluestone slabs, with a stone well ring. Located along the water line of Deshengmen and Andingmen, the well water often overflowed to the brim in the past, with clear and sweet water. Legend says that scholars traveling to the capital to take exams would drink the holy water from the well after paying respects to Confucius, believing it would inspire eloquence and literary brilliance, helping them write exceptional essays. Ink ground with this water was said to produce fragrant, smooth, and powerful brushstrokes. Hence, Qianlong named it “Inkstone Lake.” Though the water level is now low and no longer used for drinking, the elegant name and touching legend add a touch of literary charm to the Confucius Temple.

　　In April 2005, Beijing Confucius Temple underwent its first major renovation in 50 years. This project focused on restoring ancient architecture and maintenance, reviving the Qing Dynasty’s architectural scale and style, bringing the grand Confucius Temple back to public view.

　　Confucius (551–479 BC)　　 Confucius (551–479 BC), whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi in Changping, the State of Lu (present-day southeastern Qufu, Shandong). He was a philosopher, educator, and statesman of the late Spring and Autumn period, the founder of Confucianism, one of the most influential figures in Chinese history and culture, and a globally recognized cultural personality, especially in Southeast Asia.    Confucius’s ancestors were from the noble family of Weizi Qi, the half-brother of the tyrant King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. Weizi Qi upheld the Shang rituals 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, Shu Liang He, was a renowned warrior of Lu, known for his bravery and strength among the feudal lords...  More+

Beijing Confucius Temple isAAAa rated attraction

Beijing Confucius Temple is a national key cultural relics protection unit.