*A map of the Chinese Temple of Literature is attached at the end of the article
If the church is the spiritual sustenance of Westerners, then for countries deeply influenced by Confucian culture, the Temple of Literature is the most concrete embodiment of Confucian chongli thought.
Source/Ancient China
Since its completion, the Temple of Literature has been flourishing because it carries the people's beliefs. It can be said that the Confucius Temple is to the Chinese as the church is to the Westerners.
Qianwei Temple's "Confucianism in Qianwei Dacheng Praise" performance scene Photo source/Qianwei County Party Committee Propaganda Department
Since the formation of the Temple of Literature in China, it has rapidly developed into neighboring countries, and by the 18th century, Vietnam, Korea, South Korea, Japan and other neighboring countries in China have set off a wave of building temples of literature, and even affected Western countries that worship God and God.
According to incomplete statistics, there are about 2,000 temples of literature in the world.
Confucius Temple in Nagasaki, Japan Photo source/Tongcheng trip
Vietnam Hanoi Temple of Literature Photo Source / A Cheng's Daydream
It can be said that the Temple of Literature is not only the material carrier of the Confucian ritual spirit, but also has become a cultural beauty representing Confucianism after being washed away by the years.
But have you ever wondered where the temple of literature, which is extremely prosperous, comes from? And which temples of literature are representatives of the culture of the temple of literature? Perhaps, this article will give you the answer.
01
What is the Temple of Literature?
The Temple of Literature is a temple building commemorating the great thinker and educator Confucius in China. In the change of dynasties, it is also known as the Confucius Temple, the Most Holy Temple, the Xianshi Temple, the Xiansheng Temple, and the WenxuanWang Temple. However, the most common name is the Temple of Literature.
Image Source/Photo Network
However, what we call the Temple of Literature is actually a general term for all temples of literature. The usual temple of literature is divided into three categories, one is the "Confucius Family Temple" built by Confucius's descendants, in addition, there are national temples dedicated to feudal emperors and officials, and xue temples that communicate with "temple studies".
In fact, except for the qufu Confucius Temple, the Beijing Confucius Temple, and the current Qufu Confucius Inner Family Temple and Quzhou Family Temple, which are the national temples, the other Confucius temples in China are all of the nature of xuemiao.
Compared with the Confucius Temple and the National Temple, which simply worship Confucius, the Temple of Literature belonging to the Temple of Learning, in addition to having a sacrificial function, must also be attached to the local official school (Confucianism), and must have a series of ceremonial buildings such as the Lingxing Gate and the Dacheng Gate and a complete system of worship.
Harbin Confucian Temple Image source/photo network
In addition to the influence of the "sage" Confucius himself, the reason why the Temple of Literature has become popular is inseparable from the respect of kong Shangru of successive rulers.
After confucius died in Luguo, Lu Aijun was so sad that the following year he ordered confucius's former residence in Qufu to be converted into a temple, and the clothes, crowns, cars, pianos, and books used during his lifetime were preserved and sacrificed according to the age. This became the beginning of the Chinese Temple of Literature and the beginning of the princes' sacrifices.
Anhui Tongcheng Confucian Temple Image source/photo network
In the Han Dynasty, when Liu Bang crossed the Lu Kingdom, he made a special trip to Qufu to worship Confucius, so that the Confucius Temple gradually evolved from a family temple to a national temple. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were already temples of literature such as the Zhengzhou Confucian Temple that appeared outside ludi.
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, rulers continued to attach importance to Confucianism.
Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty enshrined Confucius in all counties and counties, laying the foundation for the rise of the Temple of Literature in various places and the integration of the school. Later, the "Ancestral Temple" he erected proved that the construction of the Temple of Literature, as an act of the state, had begun to appear in various parts of China.
Quanzhou Fuwen Temple Image source/photo network
The construction of the Temple of Literature in the Sui and Tang dynasties was also further developed. In 627, Emperor Taizong of Tang decreed that all scholars in the world should establish the Zhou Gong and Confucius Temple. Later, the Zhou Gonggong was stopped, dedicated to Confucius, and Confucius was honored as the "first saint", and from then on, a large-scale temple or temple was established nationwide.
The rulers of the Song Dynasty also issued an edict that the government should pay for the repair of the Temple of Literature, and during the Yuan Dynasty, the construction of Confucius Temples in various places had long become a common practice.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, every prefecture, prefecture and county had a temple of literature, and the Qing Dynasty was the heyday of the development of Chinese temples of literature - almost all the existing Confucius temple buildings in China underwent large-scale repairs and expansions by the Qing Dynasty.
Liuyang Confucian Temple Image source/photo network
02
What's in the Temple of Literature?
Unlike modern architecture, which pursues uniqueness and individuality, the Temple of Literature carries the profound culture of Confucianism, and the name and composition of each individual building have a canonical basis.
Most of the temples are composed of pan ponds, wanling palace walls, lingxing gates, dacheng gates, dacheng halls, minglun halls and other architectural complexes, and the buckle-mortise structure makes it both solid and majestic.
Yunnan Jianshui Temple overhead photo Source/Hongci Yonghu
Source/ Floor plan of Changchun Confucian Temple
Pan Pond: A half-moon-shaped pool directly in front of The Dacheng Gate.
During the reign of Duke Lu, in order to promote learning and raise scholars, it was convenient for the construction of a large-scale pan palace on the bank of Panshui in Qufu. Because of its semi-circular pond water on the east, west and south sides, it is shaped like a half wall, so it is called "Pan Pond". Later, it evolved into the exclusive use of the Temple of Literature and became a symbol of the revival of official learning in the Temple of Literature.
Wanlinggong Wall: Usually the first building located on the central axis of the Temple of Literature, it generally has the role of shadow wall or illuminated wall.
Image source/beauty
Lingxing Gate: A wooden or stone building in the archway style on the central axis of the Temple of Literature, ancient Chinese legend has it that the star is the heavenly star, which means that Confucius is the star in the sky.
Yunnan Chengjiang Confucian Temple Photo source/ Hongci Yonghu
Shiping Confucian Temple Image Source/Hongci Yonghu
Dacheng Gate: Dacheng Gate, also known as Yi Gate and Ji Gate, is the main gate leading to the area of Dacheng Hall, and is also the second gate of the Temple of Literature. Its three doors on the left, center and right show respect for Confucius and the Temple of Literature, and usually only enter and exit on both sides, and open the middle door only in case of major ceremonial ceremonies.
Qianwei Temple of Literature Dacheng Gate Source/Qianwei County Party Committee Propaganda Department
Source/China's national conditions
Dacheng Hall: The main hall dedicated to Confucius is the main building of the temple of literature in various places. Due to the different levels of the Dacheng Hall of the Confucian Temple, its specifications are also different, with four specifications: three-bay, five-bay, seven-bay and nine-bay.
Daixian Confucian Temple Dacheng Hall Source/Hongci Yonghu
In ancient times, the ancient music became one into one, nine became ninety percent, and to ninety percent and the music was finally called Dacheng. During the Song Dynasty, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty honored Confucius with the title of "The Collection of The Sages of the First", and gave the temple the name "Dacheng Hall", which fully reflected the unparalleled lofty status of Confucius's thought.
Because it is the most core sacrificial building, it is often specially repaired and maintained, and it is currently the largest preserved category of temple architecture in all parts of the country.
Floor plan of Dacheng Hall of the Temple of Literature in Henan Province Source/Ancient Architecture of Beijing Jiaotong University
Minglun Hall: Since the development of the Temple of Literature into a building integrating temple and learning, the building has been used as a place for lectures in the temples of literature or county schools in various places, and is an important part of the temples of literature in various places. There are seven, five, and three rooms in the form of a wide area.
Source/Architecture China
In addition to the above, there are also representative units such as the East and West Wing, Chongwen Pavilion, Kuixing Pavilion, and Xiangxian Ancestral Hall in the Temple of Literature.
Although some of them have not been as good as they were in the past few hundred years of history, they can still feel the artistic beauty of ancient architecture from the place where they are carved and painted.
The Star Gate, the Dacheng Hall... In addition to being a place of sacrifice and reverence for Confucius, these regular and rigorous buildings are also our respect and memory of traditional Chinese culture represented by Confucianism. As a spiritual continuation of the ancient and modern development of a city, this inheritance will surely last a long time.
03
A guide to visiting the Temple of Literature
Every existing temple of literature is an art in architecture, and it is worth our heart to feel their charm. However, if time is limited and you can't see them one by one, these representative temples of literature must not be missed.
The four major Chinese temples of literature
Nanjing Confucius Temple, Beijing Confucius Temple, Qufu Confucius Temple and Jilin Confucian Temple, as the four major Chinese temples of literature, are not only outstanding representatives of Confucian culture, but also a must-visit attraction for people to travel and punch cards.
01/ Nanjing Confucius Temple
The "crown" of the Confucius Temple
Nanjing Confucius Temple is the first national highest institution of learning in China, and it is not only the cultural and educational center of Nanjing during the Ming and Qing dynasties, but also the cultural and educational architectural complex that ranks first in the southeastern provinces.
Nanjing Confucius Temple was built in 337, and after four destructions and five constructions, it is finally what it is today.
It is centered on the Dacheng Hall, with an axis from north to south, symmetrical left and right buildings, mainly composed of three major architectural complexes of Confucius Temple, Xuegong Palace and Gongyuan, and is known as "Qinhuai Scenic Spot". From the Six Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the family clans mostly gathered nearby, so there is a saying of "Gold Powder of the Six Dynasties".
Night view of the Confucius Temple Image source/photo network
In addition, the Nanjing Confucius Temple Lantern Festival, which was popular as early as the Southern Dynasty period, is also a characteristic folk cultural activity.
Confucius Temple Lantern Festival, also known as "Jinling Lantern Festival", is mainly held during the Spring Festival to lantern festival every year, which can be called the crown of the country and enjoys the reputation of "Qinhuai Lantern Color Jia Tianxia".
02/ Beijing Confucius Temple
Temples and sciences depend on each other, the sacrifice of the emperor
The Confucius Temple in Beijing, also known as the "Ancestral Master Temple", was founded in 1302 as a place of worship for Confucius in the yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties of ancient China.
Image source/POCO
The Confucius Temple in Beijing is symmetrically distributed, with the main building on the central axis and the other parts distributed left and right.
The buildings on the central axis are, from south to north, the Xianshi Gate, the Dacheng Gate, the Dacheng Hall, the Chongsheng Gate and the Chongsheng Ancestral Hall, and the main buildings are covered with yellow glazed tiles.
The building consists of three courtyards: the leading space formed by the first courtyard is semi-open. The ceremonial space formed by the second courtyard is wide and zhouzheng, composed of buildings such as the Dacheng Hall, the East and West Auxiliary Halls, and the Utensils Library, with a closed space and a serious atmosphere. The follow-up space formed by the third courtyard is small in area, but it does not lose its charm.
After more than 700 years of historical and cultural accumulation, the Confucius Temple in Beijing has become an important historical material and object for the study of ancient Chinese imperial examinations, Confucius Confucianism, architectural forms and cultural connotations.
03/ Qufu Confucius Temple
The largest Confucius Temple in the country
The Qufu Confucius Temple, also known as the "Queli Temple of the Most Holy One", was built by the Duke of Luai in 478 BC.
After successive sacrifices and expansions by successive emperors, the scale of the Confucius Temple in Qufu has become larger and larger, becoming the largest Confucius Temple in the country, and liang Sicheng has called it the "lone case" in the history of world architecture.
Source/Culture Sanjiang
Most of the existing buildings of the Confucius Temple in Qufu were completed in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Starting from the southernmost star gate, it ends at the sacred hall at the northern end, and there are nine courtyards before and after. There are 464 halls, altars and gates in the temple. Imitating the style of the Forbidden City in Beijing, it is surrounded by red walls and four corner supporting corner buildings.
Image source/figureworm creative
The division of the courtyard space begins with two wooden arches, "Virtue as Heaven and Earth" and "Daoguan Ancient and Modern".
On the one hand, the two wooden arches mark the importance and supremacy of the Confucius Temple complex; on the other hand, as a guide to enter the Confucius Temple, they render the spectacular atmosphere of the entrance to the Confucius Temple complex, which is permeated with strong ethical characteristics.
04/ Jilin Confucian Temple
The first temple of literature in the Qing Dynasty
The Jilin Confucian Temple was built in 1736, and its architecture imitates the system of the Imperial Palace.
The three main buildings of Dacheng Gate, Dacheng Hall and Chongsheng Temple are located on a central axis, and the auxiliary buildings on both sides are symmetrically arranged, surrounded by a 3-meter-high red wall, and the main entrance is obscured by a wall.
Source/Tuniu Travel Network
As the first temple of literature established by the Qing Dynasty in the northeast, the Jilin Confucian Temple is the qing dynasty government's recognition of the introduction of Han culture to the northeast region, and has played a role in promoting the integration of Manchu and Han cultures.
Jilin Confucian Temple Source/Yanhang River
The overall building uses the form of extending along the central axis and progressing layer by layer from the courtyard to the main building. The various parts of the building coordinate with each other and set off each other, with "harmony" as the beauty, but the shape, proportion, and tone highlight the order of the inferiority and inferiority while expressing themselves, fully showing the lofty status of the Dacheng Hall.
Source/Here is Jilin Photography/Yang Jianming
Image source/Autohome
The Jilin Confucian Temple is a large-scale building, and the main building, the wall and the wall are covered with yellow glazed tiles. The double cornices of Dacheng Hall are typical palace-style buildings, with a mountain-style roof, a dragon and phoenix ridge, a nine dragon on the front, and a nine phoenix on the back. Elegant and dignified.
The best of the Temple of Literature
01/ Pingyao Temple of Literature
One of the oldest temples of literature in the complex
Pingyao Confucian Temple sits north to south, and there are four courtyards in existence, and the central axis is lined with: Lingxing Gate, Dacheng Gate, Dacheng Hall, Minglun Hall, Jingyi Pavilion, Tibetan Scripture Pavilion and other buildings.
Source/Friendly Boat
The Dacheng Hall of the Confucian Temple was rebuilt in 1163, with a history of more than 850 years, 3I7 years earlier than the Qufu Confucius Temple, 706 years earlier than the Nanjing Confucius Temple, and 248 years earlier than the Beijing Confucian Temple.
The Dacheng Hall is five rooms wide and five deep, and the plane is nearly square, with a single eaves on the top of the mountain. Inside the hall there are portraits of Confucius, as well as sculptures and documents describing the life and deeds of Confucius.
Source/Photographer of the wandering trip
The Pingyao Confucian Temple, together with the Kuixing Tower and Wenchang Pavilion in the southeast corner of the city wall, constitutes a complete architectural complex of confucian temples, which is very rare in China.
02/ Wuwei Temple of Literature
The largest temple of literature in the northwest
Wuwei Confucian Temple, also known as the "Holy Temple", is the largest Confucius Temple in northwest China. It was founded in 1437-1439 AD, and after being rebuilt and expanded during the Ming, Qing and Republic of China years, it gradually formed a group of well-laid out buildings, which has a history of more than 500 years.
Image source/White Wave
The building sits north to south, wenchang palace in the east, confucian temple in the middle, and Liangzhoufu Confucian College in the west. The entire building layout is symmetrical and the structure is rigorous, and it is a group of majestic palace-style buildings.
Because of its grand scale and majestic momentum, it was known as the "Crown of the Northwest Xuegong" during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and was a sacred place for the Liangzhou literati to worship Confucius.
Source/Micro Tour Gansu
03/ Construction of a hydrological temple
The largest temple of literature in the southwest
Jianshui Temple, located in Jianshui County, northwest of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, is one of the few large-scale temples in the country, and the third temple created in Yunnan Province after Zhongqing (Kunming) and Dali.
Building a Hydrological Temple Photo Source/Hongci Yonghu
Huge Pan Pond Image Source/Hongci Yonghu
After the expansion of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the area of the hydrological temple has reached 114 acres. Due to the huge pan pond in front of the temple, its scale is even close to the Qufu Confucius Temple.
The overall layout of the Hydrological Temple adopts the central axis symmetrical palace style, modeled on the pattern of the Qufu Confucius Temple, with 1 hall, 2 temples, 2 halls, 2 pavilions, 5 temples, and 8 squares, which is a group of large-scale buildings.
The arches that built the Hydrological Temple Photo Source/Hongci Yonghu
The gate is the solemn "Taihe Yuanqi" workshop, facing more than 20 acres of "Xuehai" (Pan Pond), the pond is full of blue waves, and there is a Sile Pavilion in the pond.
Among the buildings where the Hydrological Temple was built, the most eye-catching of them was the Dacheng Hall. The Daisei Hall was built during the reign of Akihiro and supports the entire hall with 28 pillars. The two cornices on the left and right of the gate are carved with dragons coiled, called "stone dragon holding pillars".
Stone Dragon Holding Pillar Source/Hongci Yonghu
The temple is surrounded by a solemn and majestic temple, with the reputation of "golden and magnificent armor and full yunnan".
04/ Deqing Xuegong
The oldest surviving temple of literature in Lingnan
Deqing Xuegong was founded in 1011, has a history of more than 1,000 years, collapsed after construction, rebuilt in 1297, is one of the few existing Song and Yuan Dynasty brick and wood structure ancient buildings in Guangdong Province.
Aerial view of Deqing Xuegong Image source/Era Tree Rampage
Image source/Time Tree Rampage
Deqing Xuegong is composed of Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Temple, Zunjing Pavilion, Xiangxian Ancestral Hall, Apricot Altar and other buildings.
Due to the humid local climate, there are not many ancient wooden structures that have been preserved, and the Song and Yuan wooden structures are even fewer, and the Deqing Xuegong can be described as a treasure of Ancient Wooden Architecture in Guangdong.
The main building, Dacheng Hall, is famous for its "four pillars and no top", that is, the four golden pillars in the hall are not to the top of the temple, but the cross-frame at the top of the pillar is a bucket, supported by twelve lotus-shaped bucket arches and a wellhead ceiling, which is known as the "Pearl of Ancient Architecture in the Southern Country".
The Temple of Literature, which has created a new mode of worship, is an important symbol of China's tradition of "respecting teachers and re-teaching".
Source/Hongci Yonghu
At a time when cultures are becoming more and more diverse, we walk into the Temple of Literature not only to worship Confucius, but also to respect the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and to express respect for Chinese culture and its creators.
In this colorful world, we can still feel the life of national culture through the Temple of Literature.
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