Confucius is regarded as one of the most outstanding thinkers and educators in Chinese history. He founded Confucianism, which is based on benevolence, and has been a tremendous impetus for profound changes in culture, politics, morality, and education systems in China and around the world.
His profound wisdom was revered as orthodoxy by later scholars, and as such was sincerely honored"Sage"Or a more formal courtesy"The Holy Teacher"。
The descendants of Confucius, the Kong family, have always been among the great families respected and proud of by the world.
In this legendary family, many outstanding figures were born, such as Kong Anguo, Kong Yingda, Kong Shangren, Kong Xiangxi, etc., who spanned politics, economics, literature, art, science and other fields, showing extraordinary talents and talents.
The descendants of Confucius also received special courtesy from the emperors of all dynasties, and they shouldered the solemn mission of worshipping Confucius, the great teacher, which was deeply imprinted in their hearts, and thus won hereditary titles and rich fortunes.
At the same time, they enjoy exemptions from taxation and forced labor, and have full protection and preferential treatment from national laws.
History has endowed this family with the noble status of "Yan Sheng Gong" or more formally called "Yan Sheng Zong", making it a recognized elite and authority in all walks of life in our country.
Therefore, the birth of each generation of the Holy Fathers is highly valued.
Kong Lingyi, the father of Kong Decheng, is the seventy-sixth grandson of the famous Confucius and the thirtieth generation of Yan Shenggong, so the task of inheriting the lineage falls on him.
But Kong Lingyi is very difficult in terms of heirs.
His main family, Sun, is the daughter of a famous local family in Jining, Shandong, and Kong Lingyi tied the knot in the 14th year of Guangxu (1888 AD), but failed to give birth to a child, regrettably passed away. At the same time, his concubine Feng Shi also did not give birth to children, which made him quite lost.
Later, Kong Lingyi married Tao from a family of eunuchs, and the two got married in the 31st year of Guangxu (1905), although they were fortunate to have a son after marriage, but the son died at the age of three.
For this reason, Kong Lingyi extended the bloodline of the Kong family, and chose Tao's personal servant Queen Baocui as a side room.
Wang Baocui was originally a peasant girl in Shuntian Zunhua, but was forced to sell into the Tao family due to family poverty and serve the Tao family. After becoming Kong Lingyi's side room, she successively gave birth to two daughters for Kong Lingyi.
* In the eighth year (1919), Wang Baocui became pregnant with her and Kong Lingyi's third child, and this time, she and Mr. Kong Lingyi were full of expectations, hoping to give birth to a boy to inherit the honor of Yan Sheng Gong and the duty of worshiping Confucius.
However, at this momentous moment, Mr. Kong Lingyi fell seriously ill and passed away quickly. When he was dying, he was deeply worried, fearing that Wang Baocui and his unborn child might suffer from other people's **, so he begged the Beiyang ** and the Qing Dynasty royal family at that time to help ensure the safety of Wang Baocui's mother and son.
Beiyang ** attached great importance to this matter, and immediately dispatched troops and ** to implement strict protective measures for Wang Baocui and gave her meticulous care. In the end, Wang Baocui successfully gave birth to a baby boy, that is, Kong Decheng, and lived up to expectations to fill the vacancy in the Kong family.
On the seventeenth day after Kong Decheng's birth, his mother Wang Baocui died of an infection during childbirth, leaving him an orphan since childhood.
In the 100-day banquet of Kong Decheng, Xu Shichang, who was in charge of Beiyang at the time, personally issued an order to grant Kong De the honorable status of becoming the 31st generation of Yan Shenggong, so that Kong Decheng successfully took over the title of Kong Lingyi and was responsible for the sacred duty of sacrificing to the gods of Confucius.
Kong Decheng can be said to be a very good derivative public. From the age of three, Kong Decheng was about to fulfill the duties of the Holy Father.
One of the most important duties is to make sacrifices.
Whenever the Confucian Temple held a solemn and sacred sacrificial ceremony, he always respectfully attended and actively participated.
When Kong Decheng was not yet one year old, the adults held him in their arms and asked him to offer flowers to the ancestor on the altarWhen he was only three years old, he began to study ritual etiquette and classic poetry with his elders.
When he was five years old, he took on the important responsibility of the chief priest, personally offering incense and offerings to the tablet of the Holy Master, reciting the sacrificial text and good wishes.
In his early years, he already had a deep understanding and grasp of the process, details and inner meaning of the sacrifice, and was able to calmly complete such a solemn and sacred mission.
When Kong De reached the age of 15, he took the initiative to give up the title of the honorable Yan Shenggong with his deliberate decision, and instead accepted the sincere employment of the people, and was honored as the highly respected Dacheng Holy Master Enshrined Officer.
Kong Decheng is a backbone Chinese.
On the eve of the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Japan sent special envoys to Qufu, Shandong Province many times, and sincerely invited Kong Decheng to visit Japan to witness the unveiling ceremony of the Confucius Temple in Japan.
However, in the face of this kind invitation, Kong Decheng resolutely refused, knowing full well that Japan is a hostile country to China and a serious trampler of Confucianism, so he resolutely does not want to have any form of exchange with Japan, and absolutely does not add even the slightest sense of honor to Japan.
Kong Decheng also actively devoted himself to the great cause of resisting Japan and saving the country, but unfortunately he was oppressed and imprisoned by the Japanese invaders.
After the victory of the Liberation War, Chiang Kai-shek planned to flee Taiwan, and he took with him many cultural relics, gold and silver, and even many influential people, including Kong Decheng.
Under pressure, Kong Decheng left Qufu, Shandong, where his ancestors had lived for more than 2,000 years, and came to Taiwan with his family.
In Taiwan, Kong Decheng did his best to rebuild the Confucian family's spiritual temple, the Confucian Temple, and he continued to pay tribute to the Confucian master with solemnity and awe, and was also keen to promote and inherit Confucianism and traditional Chinese culture.
In addition, Kong Decheng also devoted himself to education. He started from a new pulpit and gradually became a respected professor.
He has taught at many universities such as Fu Jen University, Soochow University, and National Chung Hsing University, where he taught courses on classical Chinese literature, ancient Chinese history, and Confucian classics.
He did this job until 2008, and then had to take a break from teaching due to dementia, and died in Taiwan soon after.
Kong Decheng has never returned to his roots in his life.
Kong Decheng's life was full of changes and challenges, he experienced the decline of the Qing Dynasty, the invasion of foreign powers and the establishment of New China, he moved from Shandong to Taiwan, and he changed from a worship official to an educator.
He always insisted on promoting Confucianism, maintaining the glory and tradition of the Confucian family, and spreading Confucian culture and spirit.
Confucius's ideological "legacy" has been inherited and carried forward by his descendants from his hands, and has become the common wealth of the Chinese nation and an important part of world culture.
Confucianism is not only the essence of traditional Chinese culture, but also the source of wisdom of modern society, which is of great value and significance for promoting the peace and development of mankind.