Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong Province was listed on the World Heritage List in 1994 and 65438+February. In the southwest of Shandong Province, there is a county-level city with a population of 1/5. This is Qufu, an "oriental holy city" with a long history of more than 5,000 years. Qufu's world-famous reputation is closely related to the name of Confucius.
Confucius is one of the greatest philosophers in the world and the founder of China Confucian School. In the long history of more than 2,000 years, Confucian culture has gradually become the orthodox culture of China, and has influenced countries in East and Southeast Asia, becoming the cornerstone of the whole oriental culture.
Confucius House, Confucius Temple and Qufu Confucius Forest are collectively called "Three Holes", which is a symbol of China's memory of Confucius and admiration for Confucianism. They are famous for their rich cultural accumulation, long history, huge scale, rich cultural relics collection and scientific and artistic value. Because of its prominent position in the history of China and the oriental culture of the world, it has been listed as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO and honored as one of the three holy cities in the world.
The Historical Significance of Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong Province
1, the holy land of Confucian worship
Confucius Temple is a sacred place to worship Confucianism in ancient times, and it is also a place to worship Confucius, from the original three Confucius Temples, the National Temple in Beijing to the square Confucius Temples all over the country. Confucius Temple was originally converted by Confucius' disciples to show their respect for their teachers.
As Confucius and Confucianism were gradually valued and became a tradition in feudal society, offering sacrifices to Confucius became a very important ceremony in China and a very important part of the country's political activities, while the Confucius Temple was a place for offering sacrifices to Confucius. Confucius Temple is a typical building in ancient sacrificial architecture, in which a large space is planned to hold sacrificial ceremonies, such as the platform in front of Dacheng Hall.
2. The foundation of feudal education
Confucius Temple is not only a place for offering sacrifices to Confucius in ancient China, but also a school for inheriting Confucius' thoughts and spreading culture and education. In addition to the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong Province, learning temples and local Confucius temples all over the country are also thriving because of the establishment of learning.
The system of integrating temple and learning makes the functions of Confucius Temple and school integrated, and the temple is located in the school. While students study cultural etiquette here, they also spread Confucius' Confucianism. The traditional architectural culture contained in the building of Confucius Temple also contains the traces left by the Confucian school system and ancient education. "Book of Rites": "Anyone who starts a scholar at the beginning must set up sages and teachers to drink it".
After "a hundred schools of thought contend and Confucianism is the only one", Confucianism has been respected to an unprecedented height, and Confucius has also been respected as a saint and teacher. When he arrived at Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Xiaowen ordered all schools in all counties in the country to offer sacrifices to Confucius. At this point, offering sacrifices to Confucius in Xuegong became a national ceremony. Later, there were "Four Seasons Festivals" in Zhaoxia Temple in Tang Gaozu, including Zhougong Temple and Confucius Temple.
On the first and fifteenth days of junior high school, teachers will lead students to the archery garden for archery training, so many Confucius temples had archery gardens at that time. In feudal society, the main place to admire Confucianism and spread Confucian culture was located in Confucius Temple, and the starting point of official career under the imperial examination system was also here. Confucius Temple has also become a very important political place.