Xianyou Confucius Temple

Originally set in the west of the county, the Temple was converted to what it is now back in the fifth year of Xianping of the Northern Song Dynasty (1002). In the wake of breakdown in late Xuanhe (1125), it went through a volatile history of resurfacings in the Qing’s Qianlong 45th year (1780), and separate refurbishings in 1985, 1998 and 2009. Overlooking south, the complex boasts a facade of 60m, complete with a throat of 127.3m, spanning 7,638 square meters. Along its central axis come with the Chuoxie Gate, Inner Gate Hall, Pan Pond, Lingxing Arches, Courtyard, Left and Right Corridor Wingrooms, Sacrificial Offerings Platform, Dacheng Hall, Sages Hall, with Ink Pond and Minglun Hall on the left. The Dacheng Hall is furnished with caisson ceilings, with small wooden bracket sets all around, paring down inwards layer by layer. Its dome is embossed with both dragons playing with a pearl, with a square seal engraved with “Zhuang Yuan Zai Fu” (“Palace Exam Champion and Prime Minister”). In front of Dacheng Hall and Lingxing Arches, the eight bluestone openwork dragon pillars deliver a vibrant feel, masterly created by local stone carving master Guo Huai and his disciples during Qing Emperor Qianlong’s reign. The Temple made it into the seventh batch of national key cultural relic protection sites in 2013.