[2024 Haining ] Travel Guide for Confucius Temple and Imperial College (Updated Dec)

Haining Yanguan Confucian Temple, Zhejiang

The history of Yanguan Confucian Temple can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty. It has been rebuilt and repaired more than 50 times. The current Confucian Temple was rebuilt on the original site and still retains the ancient architectural style. The architectural layout of the Confucian Temple follows the "left school and right temple" system since the Song Dynasty, and is divided into three parts: the front guide, the left school, and the right temple. The front guide part includes the screen wall, Pan Pond, and Kuixing Pavilion, etc. The left school part includes the Confucian School Gate, Yi Gate, Minglun Hall, Jingyi Pavilion, and Zunjing Pavilion, etc. The right temple part includes Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Temple, etc. The main building in the Confucian Temple, Dacheng Hall, enshrines the sitting statue of Confucius, and on both sides are the sitting statues of the "Four Peers" such as Yan Hui and Zeng Shen, showing the rich Confucian culture. Yanguan Confucian Temple is not only a place to worship Confucius, but also a place for official education in ancient times, attracting many scholars to study and research. Its profound cultural heritage and historical value make it an important window to understand ancient Chinese education and culture.