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34-456: The mansion is located immediately to the east of the Temple of Confucius to which it had been formerly connected. The layout of the mansion is traditionally Chinese and separates official spaces in the style of a Yamen in the front of the complex from the residential quarters in the rear. Besides the yamen and the inner quarters, the complex also contains an eastern and a western study as well as

68-515: A back garden. Within this overall arrangement, the spatial distribution of the buildings according to the seniority, gender, and status of their inhabitants reflects the Confucian principle of order and hierarchy: The most senior descendant of Confucius took up residence in the central of the three main buildings; his younger brother occupied the Yi Gun hall to the east. The eastern study was used by

102-538: A small number of mostly female servants. Trespassing into the inner compound was punishable by death. Drinking water had to be delivered through a trough in the wall. On the internal ghost wall behind this entrance is a painting of a "tan" (tān), a mythical animal representing greed. Although the tan already has the Eight Treasures (associated with the Eight Immortals , it is still attempting to swallow

136-551: A successful war. In total, 12 different emperors paid 20 personal visits to Qufu to worship Confucius. About 100 others sent their deputies for 196 official visits. The original three-room house of Confucius was removed from the temple complex during a rebuilding undertaken in 611 AD. In 1012 and in 1094, during the Song dynasty , the temple was extended into a design with three sections and four courtyards, around which eventually more than 400 rooms were arranged. Fire and vandalism destroyed

170-739: A total of 460 rooms. Because the last major redesign following the fire in 1499 took place shortly after the building of the Forbidden City in the Ming dynasty , the architecture of the Temple of Confucius resembles that of the Forbidden City in many ways. The main part of the temple consists of nine courtyards arranged on a central axis, which is oriented in the north–south direction and is 1.3  km in length. The first three courtyards have small gates and are planted with tall pine trees, they serve an introductory function. The first (southernmost) gate

204-735: Is a 72-meter-tall statue of Confucius made of brass and reinforced with steel. Qufu, Shandong province, is the birthplace of the ancient Chinese educator and philosopher. Within two years after the death of Confucius, his former house in Qufu was already consecrated as a temple by the Duke of Lu . In 205 BC, Emperor Gao of the Han dynasty was the first emperor to offer sacrifices to the memory of Confucius in Qufu. He set an example for many emperors and high officials to follow. Later, emperors would visit Qufu after their enthronement or on important occasions such as

238-508: Is named "Lingxing Gate" ( 欞星門 ) after a star in the Great Bear constellation, the name suggests that Confucius is a star from heaven. The buildings in the remaining courtyards form the heart of the complex. They are impressive structures with yellow roof-tiles (otherwise reserved for the emperor) and red-painted walls, they are surrounded by dark-green pine trees to create a color contrast with complementary colors . The main structures of

272-523: The Kangxi , Yongzheng and Qianlong eras of the Qing dynasty (between Kangxi 22 and Qianlong 13, i.e. A.D. 1683–1748). These imperial stelae stand 3.8 to 4 m tall, their turtles being up to 4.8 m long. They weigh up to 65 tons (including the stele, the bixi turtle, and the plinth under it). The southern row consists of eight pavilions, housing smaller steles, several in each. Four of them house stelae from

306-533: The Xing Tan Pavilion ( simplified Chinese : 杏 坛 ; traditional Chinese : 杏 壇 ; pinyin : Xìng Tán ), or the Apricot Platform . It commemorates Confucius teaching his students under an apricot tree. Each year at Qufu and at many other Confucian temples a ceremony is held on September 28 to commemorate Confucius' birthday. A large number of stone stelae are located on

340-514: The "Hall of Withdrawal", was used by the duke for drinking tea. This gate ( Chinese : 內 宅 門 ; pinyin : Nèizhái Mén ) dates to the Ming dynasty. The gate building stands 11.8 meters wide, 6.1 meters deep, and 6.5 meters tall. During the residence of the Kong family, the gate was heavily guarded and restricted access to the residential portion of the mansion accessible only to the family and

374-418: The Duke of Yansheng to meet official guests and worship his ancestors. The western study was used by the family for study, meals, and entertaining friends. In its present layout, the mansion comprises 152 buildings with 480 rooms, which cover an area of 12,470 square metres (134,200 sq ft). Its tallest structure is the four-story refuge tower ( Chinese : 避 難 樓 ; pinyin : Bìnán Lóu ) that

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408-596: The Jurchen Jin dynasty (1115-1234) and the Mongol Yuan dynasty ; the others, from the Qing dynasty . A large number of smaller tablets of various eras, without bixi pedestals, are lined in the open air in "annexes" around the four corners of the Thirteen Stele Pavilions area. Four important tortoise-borne imperial stelae from the Ming dynasty can be found in the courtyard south of

442-625: The Kong family to live in the mansion was Kong Decheng , the 77th generation descendant of Confucius. Kong Decheng fled to Chongqing because of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. He did not return to Qufu but moved on to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War . There is another Kong Family Mansion in Quzhou built by the southern branch of Confucius descendants. Traditional Ming dynasty hanfu robes given by

476-531: The Ming dynasty . In 1503, during the reign of the Hongzhi Emperor , the complex was expanded into three rows of buildings with 560 rooms and – like the neighboring Confucius Temple – nine courtyards. During the Qing dynasty, the mansion underwent a complete renovation in 1838 only to be damaged in a fire 48 years later that destroyed the women's quarters in 1886. Even during the fire, men did not dare to enter

510-755: The Ming emperors to the Chinese noble Dukes Yansheng , descended from Confucius , are still preserved in the Confucius Mansion after over five centuries. Robes from the Qing emperors are also preserved there. The Jurchens in the Jin dynasty and Mongols in the Yuan dynasty continued to patronize and support the Confucian Duke Yansheng. The major structures along the central axis of the mansion (from south to north) are: The main entrance gate to

544-505: The Qing era reconstruction after the fire of 1886, the Front Main Building ( Chinese : 前 堂 樓 ; pinyin : Qiántáng Lóu ) has two storeys and contained the private rooms of the wife and the concubines of the duke The rear building ( Chinese : 後 堂 樓 ; pinyin : Hòutáng Lóu ) was erected during the reign of the Qing dynasty's Jiaqing Emperor . It has a floor space of 3900 square meters and contained

578-643: The Star of Literature Pavilion. This area has two stele pavilions. The eastern pavilion houses a stele from Year 4 of the Hongwu era (1371), designating deities associated with geographical directions etc. The western pavilion contains a stele from Year 15 of the Yongle era (1417), commemorating a renovation of the temple. The other two stelae are in the open air: a Year 4 of the Chenghua era (1468) stele in front of

612-718: The Temple of Confucius has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu". The two other parts of the site are the nearby Kong Family Mansion , where the main-line descendants of Confucius lived, and the Cemetery of Confucius a few kilometers to the north, where Confucius and many of his descendants have been buried. Those three sites are collectively known in Qufu as San Kong ( 三孔 ), i.e. "The Three Confucian [sites]". There

646-519: The Temple of Confucius, some have been moved to the temple's grounds for safekeeping from other sites in Qufu in modern times. The inscriptions on the stelae are mostly in Chinese, but some of the Yuan dynasty and Qing dynasty stelae also have texts, respectively, in Middle Mongolian (using the 'Pags-Pa script ) and Manchu . Some of the most important imperial stelae are concentrated in

680-588: The area known as the " Thirteen Stele Pavilions " (十三碑亭, Shisan Bei Ting ). These 13 pavilions are arranged in two rows in the narrow courtyard between the Pavilion of the Star of Literature (奎文閣, Kuiwen Ge ) in the south and the Gates of Great Perfection (大成門, Dacheng Men ) in the north. The northern row consists of five pavilions, each of which houses one large stele carried by a giant stone tortoise ( bixi ) and crowned with dragons; they were installed during

714-455: The arrival of imperial edicts. The structure is 6.24 meters wide, 2.03 meters deep, and 5.95 meters in height. It is also known as the "Yi Gate" ( Chinese : 儀 門 ; pinyin : Yí Mén ) or "Sai Gate" ( Chinese : 塞 門 ; pinyin : Sāi Mén ). The Great Hall ( Chinese : 大 堂 ; pinyin : Dà Táng ) was the site of the duke's official business and the place for the proclamation of imperial edicts. When holding court,

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748-417: The complex ( Chinese : 孔 府 大 門 ; pinyin : Kǒngfǔ Dàmén ) is marked by a tablet that reads "Sage Mansion" ( Chinese : 聖 府 ; pinyin : Shèngfǔ ). The central courtyard is flanked to the east and west by former administrative office buildings. The administration of the Kong family's official functions and businesses was structured into departments similar to the six ministries of

782-557: The duke was seated in the hall on a wooden chair that was covered by a tiger skin. The Second Hall ( Chinese : 二 堂 ; pinyin : Èr Táng ) was used for receiving high-ranking officials as well as for examinations in music and rites by the duke. It contains seven tablets inscribed by emperors, including one with the character "shou" (longevity) written by the Empress Dowager Cixi . The Third Hall ( Chinese : 三 堂 ; pinyin : Sān Táng ), also known as

816-401: The front side of the hall are decorated with coiled dragons. It is said that these columns were covered during visits by the emperor in order not to arouse his envy. Dacheng Hall served as the principal place for offering sacrifices to the memory of Confucius. It is also said to be one of the most beautiful views of Confucius Temple. In the center of the courtyard in front of Dacheng Hall stands

850-525: The imperial government : Department of Rites (ancestor worship), Department of Seals (jurisdiction and edicts), Music, Letters, and Archives, Rent Collection and Sacrificial Fields. Located to the north of the Central Courtyard, the Gate of Double Glory ( Chinese : 重 光 門 ; pinyin : Chóngguāng Mén ) was erected in 1503 and opened only for ceremonial purposes, visits by the emperor, or

884-421: The premises of the Temple of Confucius. A recent book on Confucian stelae in Qufu catalogs around 500 such monuments on the temple's grounds, noting that the list is far from complete. The steles commemorate repeated rebuildings and renovations of the temple complex, contain texts extolling Confucius and imperial edicts granting him new honorary titles. While most of these tablets were originally associated with

918-584: The private rooms of the duke. The last duke to inhabit the Rear Building was Kong Decheng . Originally a study for the duke, the rear five rooms ( Chinese : 後 五 間 ; pinyin : Hòuwǔ Jiān ) become a quarter for the maids of the residence during the late Qing dynasty. The Back Garden ( Chinese : 後 花 園 ; pinyin : Hòu Huāyuán ) also known as the Tieshan Garden ( Chinese : 鐵 山 園 ; pinyin : Tiěshān Yuán )

952-407: The sun. The painting was placed at the exit from the inner apartments to the administrative portion to warn the members of the Kong family against greed in their business dealings outside. The Front Reception Hall ( Chinese : 前 上 房 ; pinyin : Qiánshàng Fáng ) is a structure with seven bays that was used for receiving relatives, banquets, marriage and funeral ceremonies. Built during

986-558: The temple are: The Dacheng Hall ( Chinese : 大 成 殿 ; pinyin : Dàchéng diàn ), whose name is usually translated as the Hall of Great Perfection or the Hall of Great Achievement , is the architectural center of the present-day complex. The hall covers an area of 54 by 34  m and stands slightly less than 32  m tall. It is supported by 28 richly decorated pillars, each 6  m high and 0.8  m in diameter and carved in one piece out of local rock. The 10 columns on

1020-552: The temple in 1214, during the Jin dynasty . It was restored to its former extent by the year 1302 during the Yuan dynasty . Shortly thereafter, in 1331, the temple was framed in an enclosure wall modelled on the Imperial palace. After another devastation by fire in 1499, the temple was finally restored to its present scale. In 1724, yet another fire largely destroyed the main hall and the sculptures it contained. The subsequent restoration

1054-401: The women's part of the mansion to fight the fire, leading to greater damage to this portion of the mansion complex. The damaged portions of the mansion were rebuilt two years later; the cost of both these 19th-century renovations was covered by the emperor. Despite these later renovations, the Kong Family Mansion remains the best-preserved Ming-era residential complex of its size. The last head of

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1088-645: Was added during the Ming-era expansion of the mansion in 1503. The major building at the northern end of the garden is the Flower Hall ( Chinese : 花 廳 ; pinyin : Huā Tīng ). Temple of Confucius, Qufu The Temple of Confucius ( Chinese : 孔廟 ; pinyin : Kǒng miào ) in Qufu , Shandong Province , is the largest and most renowned temple of Confucius in East Asia. Since 1994,

1122-709: Was completed in 1730. Many of the replacement sculptures were damaged and destroyed during the Cultural Revolution in 1966. In total, the Temple of Confucius has undergone 15 major renovations, 31 large repairs, and numerous small building measures. Another main Confucius Temple was built in Quzhou by the southern branch of the Confucius family. The temple complex is among the largest in China, it covers an area of 16,000  square metres and has

1156-474: Was designed as a shelter during an attack but was never used. The mansion houses an archive with about 60,000 documents related to the life in the mansion over a period of 400 years during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The first mansion for the Kong family of the Duke Yansheng was built in 1038 during the Song dynasty . In 1377, the mansion was relocated and rebuilt under orders of the first emperor of

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