The Confucius Temple was founded in 478 BC, with its former residence as the temple, and was dedicated at the age of 18. Since the Western Han Dynasty, emperors of past dynasties have continuously sealed posthumous title for Confucius, and the scale of Confucius Temple has become larger and larger, becoming the largest Confucius Temple in China. Most of the existing buildings were completed in the Ming and Qing dynasties, covering an area of 327 mu, with 9 courtyards before and after. There are more than 460 halls, altars and gates in the temple. Surrounded by red walls, there are turrets at the four corners, which are built in imitation of the palace style. The whole temple is magnificent and the layout is reasonable. It is one of the three existing ancient buildings in China (Forbidden City and Summer Resort). 1994 is listed as "World Cultural Heritage" by UNESCO. The buildings of the Confucius Temple run through the central axis of the north and south. The middle road starts from Jinsheng Yuzhen Square and passes through Lingxingmen, Taihe Yuan Qi Square, Shengshimen and Shuiqiao from south to north. After entering the Dazhong Gate, it passes through Kuiwen Pavilion, Shisanbei Pavilion, Dachengmen, Xingtan, Dacheng Hall and Bedroom Hall, and finally reaches Shengji Hall, which is the main body of the Confucius Temple. From the big city gate to the east, enter the holy city gate, Dashi Auditorium, Ruby, kong zhai Laojing, Chongsheng Temple, and then Camus, which is the east road of Confucius Temple. From Dachengmen to the west, enter Shengkaimen, Daxingxing Hall, Sheng Kai Temple and Sheng Kai Bedroom, which is the west road of Confucius Temple. The main buildings of Confucius Temple are:
Kuiwenge
Also known as the library, it is a pavilion dedicated to collecting books and ink given by emperors in previous dynasties. It has three cornices, four arches, red walls and yellow tiles, and has a unique architectural style. It is the tallest building after Dacheng Hall.
Shisan pavilion
Courtyard located between Kuiwen Pavilion and Dameng Gate. 13 stone tablets have the same shape but different inscriptions, 8 in the south and 5 in the north, commonly known as the Imperial Monument Pavilion. It is the place where emperors built Confucius temples and offered sacrifices to Confucius. There are more than 50 giant monuments in Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. In the art of calligraphy, the real cursive script is different in order, style and brushwork.
Xingtan
Behind the big city gate. It is a square pavilion with double eaves and crossed ridges, hanging from the top of the mountain on all sides, and carved beams and painted buildings with yellow tiles and bamboo columns. There is a stone incense burner in front of the altar, and there are several ancient trees beside the altar, which is the place where Confucius worships Confucius "... sitting on the apricot altar, his disciples read, and Confucius sings the strings and plays the piano ...". So is the so-called "Xingtan preaching".
The main hall of the Confucian temple
It is the main building of Confucius Temple. The whole hall is resplendent and magnificent, with two dragons carved on the 65,438+00 marble columns on its front porch, which is rare in palace buildings. The corridors in the hall are all nanmu, painted with dragons and gold. There is a pavilion in front of the temple called Xingtan, where Confucius gave lectures in his later years. Xingtan teaches, disciple 3 thousand. Kuiwen Pavilion is a three-story wooden attic with cornices and arches, which is rare in China. Covering area 1800 square meters. It is one of the four brick and wood halls in China (the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Ling 'en Hall in the Ming Tombs). This is a magnificent building and the main place to pay homage to Confucius. There is a statue of Confucius in the center of the hall. There are statues of Yan Zi, Ceng Zi, Zi Si and Mencius on the left and right, which are called "four matches". There are 12 statues on both sides. They are Min Yi, Ran Geng, ran yong, Zai Yu, Duanmu Ci, Ran Qiu, Zhong You, Shang Bo, Zhuan Xu Shi, You Ruo and Zhu, and they are "Twelve Philosophers". The above-mentioned 16 scholars are recognized as authentic descendants of Confucianism. The 10 stone pillar in front of the temple is carved into a rising shape with a whole giant stone. Vivid in shape and exquisite in craftsmanship, it is a treasure in stone carving art.
The last hall of the Confucius Temple is the Hall of the Holy Trace, which contains comic books and stone carvings with the theme of Confucius' experiences and stories. There is a poetry auditorium on the East Road of Confucius Temple, which is the place where Emperor Kangxi made a special trip to Qufu to visit Confucius and listened to Confucius' descendants Confucius preach Confucius' theory. Confucius' old house is behind the Poetry Hall, which is the oldest place in the Confucius Temple and the place where Confucius lived. There is an ancient well next to it, which is said to be Confucius' drinking well, and there is a stone fence around the well platform. Interestingly, the two stone pillars at the entrance and exit of the well site turned out to be ringing stones, making a sound of metal impact. The whole building complex is a masterpiece of China's ancient architecture, sculpture, calligraphy and painting. Confucius Temple, the Forbidden City in Beijing and chengde mountain resort in Hebei are also called the three ancient buildings in China.