Temple of Confucius

A Temple of Confucius or a Confucian temple is a place of worship where people show respect to Confucius and other important people of Confucianism. Confucianism is a folk religion in China and other countries in East and Southeast Asia. Its history in East Asia is more than 2,500 years.

In the past, these temples were where the imperial examination happened in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. They often included schools and other places for studying.

The birthplace of Confucius is Qufu in Shandong, China. The city has the largest and most famous temple of Confucius. Inside it is a very tall statue of Confucius (72 meters) made of brass and strengthened with steel. This temple is the oldest Confucius temple in the world. It has also been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1994.

 Names 
The temples are called by many different names in East and Southeast Asia. The most important ones in Qufu and Beijing are called "Temples of Confucius" in Chinese (, ). In some places, they are called "Temples of Literature" () (; ; ; ) or "Temples of the Sage of Literature" (). In Southern China, temples with these names usually also honor Wenchang Wang, a different deity linked to the scholar Zhang Yazi. In Japan, Confucius temples are often known as "Temples of the Sage" or "Halls of the Sage" ( or ).

 History 
People built these temples to honor Confucius as he became more popular in China. In 195 BC, Han Gao Zu, who started the Han dynasty, paid respects to Confucius at his tomb in Qufu. People started to worship Confucius and his disciple Yan Hui at the Imperial University around 241.

In 454, the Liu Song dynasty in southern China built an important state Confucian temple. By 489, the  built another Confucian temple in the capital, beyond Qufu in the north. In 630, the Tang dynasty said schools had to have Confucian temples across all provinces and counties. After this Confucianism started to spread throughout China. There are famous Confucian shrines in Jianshui, Xi'an, Nanjing's Fuzi Miao, and Beijing which was first started in 1302. The old Confucian Temple in Tianjin covers 32 acres. It is the largest group of traditional architecture buildings still left in Tianjin.

The biggest and oldest Temple of Confucius is in Qufu, Shandong Province of China. This is where Confucius was born. Duke Ai of the State of Lu ordered its construction in 479 BC, a year after Confucius died. The temple grew larger over more than 2,000 years. There is also another big temple in Quzhou. Other than Confucian temples linked to the state, there were ancestral temples for the Kong lineage, the family of Confucius, to remember what Confucius did for the country, and also private temples within educational institutions.

 Design of temples 
Starting from the Tang dynasty (618–907), people built Confucian temples in schools across the empire. They built these temples at the front or on the side of the schools. The front gate of a temple is called the Lingxing Gate. Inside, there were usually three courtyards, sometimes only two. However, the Qufu complex has nine courtyards with many stone slabs commemorating visits by emperors or imperial noblemen to Confucius's descendants. The main building is called the Dachengdian, translated as "Hall of Great Achievement", "Hall of Great Completion", or "Hall of Great Perfection". It is in the inner courtyard. People go inside through the Dachengmen. In imperial China, these halls housed the Spirit Tablets of Confucius and other important sages. In front of the Dachengdian in Qufu is the Apricot Pavilion or Xingtan. Another important building behind the main one is the Shrine of Adoring the Sage. It honors Confucius's ancestors and the fathers of the Four Correlates and Twelve Philosophers.

Confucian temples, unlike Taoist or Buddhist ones, usually do not have statues. In the early years of the Qufu temple, the spirits of Confucius and his disciples were shown in wall paintings. Official temples had images of Confucius, but some did not like this as it copied Buddhist temples. The focus was argued to be on honoring Confucius's teachings rather than the man himself.

To solve the lack of uniformity in Confucius statues, Emperor Taizu of the Ming dynasty ordered that new Confucian temples should only have spirit tablets and no statues. In 1530, it was decided that existing images of Confucius in imperial temples should be replaced with spirit tablets. However, many modern Confucian temples still have statues, especially those run by Confucius's family descendants, like the one in Qufu.

 Practice of worship 
Confucian worship mainly means offering sacrifices to Confucius's spirit at the Confucian temple.

A dance called the Eight-Row Dance, which used to be the Six-Row Dance, is danced at these temples. The dance has eight columns of eight dancers each. It was granted to Confucius in 1477 as an imperial honor, given the title of king after his death. The accompanying musicians play yayue music.

Apart from honoring Confucius, Confucian temples also pay tribute to the "Four Correlates", the "Twelve Philosophers", and other disciples and scholars of Confucianism in history. The number of important people worshipped changed over time. By the 20th century, there were 162 people worshipped in Confucian temples, including the Four Correlates (Yan Hui, Zeng Shen, Kong Ji, and Mencius) and the Twelve Philosophers.

 Temples outside China 
As Confucianism became popular across East Asia, people built temples for Confucius in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. From the 18th century onwards, there were even some temples in Europe and the Americas. When Confucianism was most popular, there were more than 3,000 Confucian temples in the world.

 In Korea 
After China, Korea has the most Confucian temples. These temples were often linked to schools. They first started during the Goryeo period (918–1392). Confucianism became more popular in the Joseon dynasty. As a result, the government started Confucian schools (, ) for training officials. These schools had teaching buildings and a memorial tablet house called  (). The temples were similar to Chinese models, but in Korea there were some changes such as building schools in front of temples. Korea also added its own scholars, the eighteen scholars of the East, to the Confucian pantheon (the five sages).

Korea had 362 Confucian temples. After World War II and the division of the country, people in North Korea changed temples into centers of traditional culture (). Some of the 232 temples in the South Korea continued their activities. Alongside temples focused on Confucianism, the Republic of Korea also has twelve Confucian family temples, two temples in private schools, and three libraries.

 In Taiwan 
The first Confucian temple in Taiwan was the Taiwan Confucian Temple. It was built in Tainan in 1665 during the Tungning Kingdom. Another temple, the Taipei Confucius Temple, was built in Taipei in 1879. It was demolished in 1907 and rebuilt on Dalong Street from 1925 to 1939. The new temple was designed by Wang Yi-Shun. It is a temple in the Fujian style. Every year, on September 28, Confucius's birthday, there is the Shidian Ceremony. 

There is also a Confucian temple in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung. It was finished in 1974. It was built in the Northern Song architectural style. More Confucian temples are in Chiayi City, Taipei, Taichung, and Changhua County.

 In Japan 
In Japan, Confucian temples () were often built next to Confucian schools. The Yushima Seidō is the most famous. It was built in 1630 during the Edo period. At first it was a private school. This school was linked to the Neo-Confucianist scholar Hayashi Razan. It was first in Shinobi-ga-oka in Ueno. It was later moved to near present-day Ochanomizu by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Shogunate also started an important school on its grounds. It was sponsored by the state and called .

 In Vietnam 
In Vietnam, a Confucian temple is called a . The earliest recorded  is in Hanoi. It was started in 1070 during the Lý dynasty. Starting from 1397, Confucian temples, such as the famous  in Hưng Yên City, became popular across Vietnam with the building of schools during the Tran dynasty.

 In Indonesia 
Confucian temples are also in Indonesia. They are called "Churches of Confucius". Confucianism is a recognized religion in the country. The largest and oldest temple is Boen Bio in Surabaya. It was first built in the city's Chinatown in 1883. It was moved in 1907. Reports say there are over 100 Confucianist halls of worship across Indonesia.

 In Malaysia 
The first Confucian temple in Malaysia was built in the Chung Hwa Confucian School in Penang in the early 20th century. The Qing dynasty ambassador to the British Straits Settlement at the time started this school. Later, it was divided into SJK(C) Chung Hwa Confucian A, B, and SMJK Chung Hwa Confucian. Parents brought their children to this temple for prayers before starting school, seeking good results in studies.

Kuala Lumpur has two Confucian schools: SMJK Confucian and Confucian Private School. It also has a Confucian school in Malacca where ceremonies in honor of Confucius happen every year.

 Gallery 

 References 

Other websites

 Images of the Temple of Culture and history of Confucian temples
 Full Virtual Walk & Info on Confucius Temple, Beijing
 Asian Historical Architecture: Fuzimiao in Nanjing
 Asian Historical Architecture: Confucian temple in Suzhou
 The Confucian temple in Tainan 
 Surabaya, and description of Boen Bio
 The Taipei Confucius Temple


Confucius
Category:Religion in China