Qufu, Jining.
Qufu, Jining | Yan Temple, the Temple of the Repeated Sage, a disciple of Confucius who never changed his joy
Qufu Yan Temple, also known as the Temple of the Repeated Sage, is a temple dedicated to Yan Zi and is listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. Yan Temple is divided into three routes and five courtyards, with 24 buildings from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, totaling 159 rooms. There are 53 stone inscriptions from the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
Yan Zi, also known as Yan Hui, courtesy name Ziyuan, was Confucius' most accomplished disciple. Confucius once praised Yan Zi, "How virtuous is Hui! With a single bamboo basket of food and a single gourd of drink, he lives in a humble alley. Others cannot bear such hardship, but Hui never changes his joy. How virtuous is Hui!" When Emperor Gaozu of Han offered sacrifices to Confucius with the highest level of ceremony, he also offered sacrifices to Yan Hui, who was ranked first among the seventy-two sages. During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, when the state held Buddhist ceremonies, Confucius was honored as the First Sage and Yan Hui as the First Teacher. Emperor Taizong of Tang also honored Confucius as the First Sage and Yan Zi as the First Teacher, while Emperor Xuanzong of Tang honored him as the Sub-Sage and Duke of Yan, Emperor Zhenzong of Song conferred him the title of Duke of Yan, and Emperor Wenzong of Yuan honored him as the Duke of Yan and the Repeated Sage. In the ninth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty, he was renamed the Repeated Sage.
The main hall, the Hall of the Repeated Sage, enshrines a statue of Yan Zi. It was first built in the Yuan dynasty, with surrounding corridors supported by stone columns. The four columns in the front corridor are carved with cloud dragons, while the four side columns are carved with dragons, phoenixes, and flowers, which are relics from the Ming dynasty. Inside the hall hangs a plaque inscribed with "Purely Embodying the Sage" by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty. The original site of the humble alley had an ancient well, which was said to be used by Yan Zi, hence the name "Yan Zi Well." During the Xining reign of the Song dynasty, "Kong Junzonghan, the governor of Jiaoxi, first obtained the land, dredged and repaired the well, and built a pavilion on top of it."