Qufu Confucius Temple (Part II)

The Confucius Temple is arranged along a north-south central axis, symmetrical on both sides, with a rigorous layout. It has nine courtyards in total, with the Lingxing Gate, Shengshi Gate, Hongdao Gate, Dazhong Gate, Tongwen Gate, Kuiwen Pavilion, and Thirteen Imperial Stele Pavilions in the front. Starting from the Dacheng Gate, the architecture is divided into three routes: the central route includes the Dacheng Gate, Apricot Altar, Dacheng Hall, Sleeping Hall, Holy Relics Hall and two side halls, which are places for worshipping Confucius and the ancient scholars and sages; the eastern route includes the Chongsheng Gate, Poetry and Rites Hall, Old Well, Lu Wall, Chongsheng Words, Family Temple, etc., which are mostly places for worshipping Confucius' five generations of ancestors; the western route includes the Qisheng Gate, Golden Thread Hall, Qisheng King Hall, Sleeping Hall, etc., which are places for worshipping Confucius' parents.