Yongchun Confucian Temple

Yongchun Confucian Temple

Yongchun Confucian temple is located in Taocheng Town, Yongchun County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province. Founded in the Qing Li period of Song Dynasty (1041-1048), it is a place for students to speak, read and take exams. It was first built in the west of Dongdu (Dongyue) bridge, then moved to the north of Zhizheng bridge and the south of Baima Mountain. After seven times of relocation in the song, yuan and Ming Dynasties, it was moved to the central part of the city after the 44th year of Jiajing (1556).

brief introduction

After 32 times of reconstruction, renovation and expansion, Yongchun Confucian temple had formed a magnificent and magnificent building complex in 1785. The main buildings are Dacheng hall, Minglun hall, Qisheng temple, Xiangxian temple, Minghuan temple, Zunjing Pavilion, Jingyi Pavilion, Yimen, test hall, etc. it is a large and magnificent group of ancient buildings in Yongchun. Unfortunately, except Dacheng hall and Minglun hall, some of the other buildings were destroyed and some were used for other purposes. The existing main hall is a group of ancient buildings, which were built and renovated many times in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty. In 1986, the Fujian provincial government and Mr. Yan Binsheng donated money to renovate it

.

The rebuilt Confucian temple faces south from the north, and its architectural structure is similar to that of Quanzhou Confucian temple. At present, Dacheng hall, Zhaoqiang, menting, Lingxing gate, panchi, Jimen, Yongdao, Baitai, together with the East and West veranda, covers an area of more than 3000 square meters. The screen wall in front of the Confucian temple is made of granite and red brick, which is as high as five meters. Zhaobi, also known as Zhaobi, is a barrier in front of the gate of some important ancient Chinese buildings (such as palaces, temples, etc.) to show the dignity of the building. Under the tile is a line of brick Yunlong, with the typical characteristics of traditional culture. The "Jin Sheng" and "Yu Zhen" gate pavilions, which are made of granite strips, are separated from the East and west sides of the wall, adding a bit of solemnity to the Confucian temple. In front of the temple, there were two steles for dismounting, but now only one of them is left. On the stele, it is engraved that "all civil and military officials, soldiers and civilians are ordered to dismount here", which shows people's supreme respect for Confucius.

internal structure

Just opposite the wall is the Lingxing gate, which is a stone archway with six columns and three gates. It is carved with various bird and animal patterns, which is very exquisite. The East and West gates, also known as the two axillary gates of virtue and Taoism, are respectively engraved with the words "virtue follows heaven and earth" and "Taoist canon" in ancient and modern times, praising Confucius' conduct and knowledge. There is an arch bridge with two piers and three holes on the semicircular panchi. In ancient times, only scholars and Juren were qualified to walk on the bridge and visit Confucius sage. Across panchi, we come to Dacheng gate. The three pairs of Baogu stones outside the door are made of blue granite with fine carving. Entering dachengmen is a patio of about 260 square meters. In the middle of the courtyard, there is a north-south stone road, called the corridor, which leads directly to the worship platform. The worship platform, also known as platform and terrace, is a place where sacrificial activities were held in ancient times. In the middle of the worship platform, there is a stone named dragon. It is said that in ancient times, those high school scholars enjoyed the honor of crossing the head of Panlong.

Walking through the worship platform is the main building Dacheng hall, also known as the temple. It is the place where Confucius and his disciples' statues or deities are placed for people to worship, and it is also the place to give lectures. The double eaves Xieshan civil structure is adopted, and the shape is simple and generous. Two pairs of stone dragon pillars are carved with two female dragons with little dragons in the middle. Interestingly, a "laughing dragon" is carved on the third dragon pillar from the left, which is different from our common dragon image and can be called a unique one. There are two plaques in the hall, which are "a model for all generations" and "no one has ever lived" (referring to the knowledge of Confucius that no one can compare with later generations), which are written by Kangxi and Yongzheng. Looking up, the double beams on the roof of the main hall, with Phoenix above and dragon below, are a rare style in ancient and modern architecture. With flying eaves, green tiles, carved beams and painted buildings, the whole building looks solemn and magnificent.

Behind the Dacheng hall are the Chongsheng temple and the high-rise building. The Chongsheng temple is the ancestral hall for Confucius' ancestors in the last five dynasties. The meaning of yanggaolou is derived from the Analects of Confucius · Zihan's "yangzhimizhigao, zuijijian". There is a list of Jinshi of Yongchun dynasties in the building. From the long history of Yongchun Confucian temple, we can see the fine tradition of respecting learning and education.

Cultural relics protection

In October 2019, Yongchun Confucian temple was approved as the eighth batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council.

Address: No.40 Taocheng Road, Taocheng Town, Yongchun County, Quanzhou City

Longitude: 118.295219

Latitude: 25.321327

Ticket information: no ticket required.

Chinese PinYin : Yong Chun Wen Miao