Confucius Temple and School

2021-07-19 16:47:21

Confucius Temple and School

Confucius Temple and School

Confucius Temple and School

As a place for Confucians to offer sacrifice and the city’s highest institute of education, the Confucius Temple served as a symbol of Quanzhou’s “high society”. The social elites played an important role in the development and management of Song-Yuan-era maritime trade. The Confucius Temple and School is located in what was once the southeast of Quanzhou City in the 10th century. Construction began on the building complex in 976; however, the main structure did not take shape until 1137. The building complex faces southward, with the school on the left (east) and the temple on the right (west). The religious buildings on the west were dedicated to Confucian sacrifice, and the remnants include Lingxing Gate, the open courtyard, Dacheng Gate, the pond and bridge, the worship courtyard, Dacheng Hall, the east and west corridor rooms and the east and west wing rooms. The buildings on the east served the function of a prefecture-level institute of local education, and there are remnants of Yuying Gate, the study pond and bridge, the open courtyard, Minglun Hall and the east and west study rooms. Between the two groups of building complexes is Chongsheng Shrine to worship the fifth ancestor of Confucius. Besides, there are three memorial halls dedicated to the commemoration of Quanzhou’s famous historical figures, namely, Cai Wenzhuang Shrine, Li Wenjie Shrine, and Zhuang Jicang Shrine. Dacheng Hall is the heart of the building complex, its face spanning seven bays, topped by a double-eave hip-and-gable roof clad with yellowish glazed tiles. The roof is supported by pillars gilded with dragon designs, and the interior of the hall is painted with bright colors. All these elements together display an uncommon level of architectural standards and reflect the economic and cultural prosperity that maritime trade brought to Quanzhou. The Confucius Temple was included into the fifth group of major cultural heritage sites protected at the national level by the State Council in June, 2001.