Xingtan is in front of Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple in Qufu City, Shandong Province. According to legend, this is the place where Confucius gave lectures. "Zhuangzi Fisherman's Chapter" said: "Confucius swam in the curtain forest (that is, only black, under the guise of place names) and stopped at the apricot altar. Disciples read books and bore bullets and drums. " Before the Song Dynasty, it was Dacheng Hall. In the second year of Tiansheng (1024), when Daofu Kong, the grandson of Confucius of the 45th generation, supervised the renovation of the Confucius Temple, he planted apricot altars around the former site of the main hall. So "Xingtan" has become synonymous with the holy land of education.

Research and textual research

Although there are many admirers in later generations, they can't be found in the works not far from Confucius, such as The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi, Zuo Zhuan, Dai Xiao and Li Ji, and even the name "Xingtan" has never appeared, which is quite puzzling.

The oldest person who remembers this is Miscellaneous Notes of the Owner, written by Sun Kong, the 47th generation of Confucius in Shaoxing during the Southern Song Dynasty. Among them, "On the Apricot Altar" said briefly: Once upon a time, when Zhou Lingwang was alive and Lu Aigong was alive, Master drove from the East Gate of the country. Because he saw the Apricot Altar, he strolled upstairs. Disciple Shi Lie, Gu said, "The altar where Zang Wenzhong will be sworn." Seeing things and thinking about people, singing and singing. The song says: "Live in summer, live in cold, spring returns to autumn, the sun sets, and the water flows east." Where is the general's horse now? Wild grass and flowers are everywhere. "