Hakka Capital - The Splendid Tingzhou (Part 5): The Tingzhou Confucian Temple

In the center of the ancient city of Tingzhou stands a magnificent and elegant ancient building - the Tingzhou Confucian Temple. The Tingzhou Confucian Temple was originally built in the year 999 AD and was relocated to its current site in 1133. The main gate of the Tingzhou Confucian Temple is a tall and wide stone structure carved with intricate designs - the Lingxing Gate. Lingxing represents the star of literature in the sky, and setting up a Lingxing Gate in temples dedicated to Confucius is to regard Confucius as a celestial body, possessing divine powers just like the stars in the sky. Outside the Lingxing Gate to the west stands a stone stele inscribed with 'The Dismounting Spot of Officials Through the Ages'. The Confucian Temple is a place of high standards and solemnity, where civil officials passing by outside the gate must alight from their sedan chairs, and military officers must dismount from their horses. Inside the Lingxing Gate is a semi-circular pool called the Pan Pool. In the past, scholars entering school were said to be 'entering the Pan'. Over the Pan Pool is a stone arch bridge - the Biyun Bridge. In front of the Pan Pool are the three-doored Ji Gate and the Zhongzhai. Ji is an ancient weapon with three spearheads, hence the reference to the three large doors. In the past, the three doors were not opened at the same time; only the central door was opened for major ceremonies. Above the Ji Gate hangs a square plaque with the calligraphy 'Confucian Temple'. In front of the Dacheng Hall is a two-tiered stone balustrade terrace, and in the center of the terrace is a stone relief - the Dan Chi, which is usually found only in the imperial palace. Since Confucius was conferred by emperors throughout the ages, not only is there a Dan Chi, but there are also two thick coiled dragon stone columns in front of the Dacheng Hall. Hanging on top of the hall is a plaque inscribed with 'Dacheng Hall' by Mr. Tong Yuwen, a famous calligrapher from Fujian Province and consultant to the Changting County Calligraphy Association. On the north side of the Dacheng Hall, in the shrine, stands the camphor wood statue of the elderly Confucius, and above the statue hangs a huge plaque inscribed with 'Model Teacher for Ten Thousand Generations' by Emperor Kangxi, demonstrating the luxury, grandeur, and taste of the Confucian Temple that sets it apart from other temples. The Tingzhou Confucian Temple