The Kong Family Mansion

The Kong Family Mansion, originally named the Yan Sheng Gong Mansion, is located to the east of the Confucius Temple and served as the official residence of Confucius' direct eldest grandson. Emperor Gaozu of Han offered sacrifices to Confucius' tomb with the grandest of rituals and posthumously ennobled Confucius' ninth-generation descendant as the Lord of Sacrifice, representing the state in offering sacrifices to Confucius. Subsequent dynasties continued to bestow titles, and by the Song dynasty, the title of Yan Sheng Gong was conferred. In the tenth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty, the independent Yan Sheng Gong Mansion was established. There are currently over 480 rooms, including towers, halls, and chambers, with the front serving as the government office and the rear as the private residence. The mansion houses the famous Kong Archives and a large number of cultural relics. The Kong Family Mansion is known as 'the first family under heaven.' It was the residence where Confucius' direct descendants lived for a long time and is a typical example of a combined official residence and private home in Chinese feudal society. After Confucius' death, his descendants lived next to the temple, guarding Confucius' relics. By the end of the Northern Song dynasty, the Kong family residence had expanded to dozens of rooms. During the Jin dynasty, Confucius' descendants always lived to the east of the Confucius Temple. As the official ranks and titles of Confucius' later generations were promoted, the Kong Family Mansion was continuously expanded, becoming the largest family residence in China after the imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Kong Family Mansion covers an area of approximately 7.4 hectares, with 480 ancient buildings, divided into nine courtyards arranged in three routes: central, east, and west. The Kong Family Mansion was designed with six halls, modeled after the six ministries of feudal dynasties, located on both sides within the second gate. These include the Management Hall, the Hundred Households Hall, the Classics Hall, the Music Hall, the Seal Hall, and the Book Control Hall, all of which managed the affairs of the Kong Family Mansion. The Ming dynasty buildings are five bays wide and three bays deep, spacious and grand, serving as the place where imperial edicts were announced, officials were received, and major cases were tried. The Kong Family Mansion occupies 240 acres and consists of 463 rooms, including halls, chambers, towers, and houses. It has nine courtyards arranged in three routes: the east route, also known as the Eastern Studies, includes the Continuous Hall, the Mu En Hall, the Kong Family Ancestral Temple, and workshops; the west route, also known as the Western Studies, includes the Red Flower Pavilion, the Zhongshu Hall, the Anhuai Hall, and the Flower Hall; the main part of the Kong Family Mansion is on the central route, with the front serving as the government office, including three halls and six chambers, and the rear as the private residence, including the front upper rooms, the front and rear hall buildings, the matching buildings, and the rear six rooms, ending with a garden.