Why did Emperor Qianlong visit the Confucian Temple 11 times?

Mondo History Updated on 2024-03-01

The Confucian Temple is a temple dedicated to China's great thinkers, educators, and founders of Confucianism. In the ninth year of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, a temple dedicated to Confucius was built in Taixue, which was the beginning of the construction of the Confucian Temple in the highest institution of learning in the country. Since then, it has been followed by successive dynasties.

The Confucius Temple in Beijing is located in Guozijian Street in Andingmen, built in accordance with the traditional regulation of "left temple and right learning", and the Confucian Temple is adjacent to Guozijian. The Confucius Temple in Beijing was founded in the sixth year of Yuan Dade and has a history of more than 700 years, and the emperors of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties have left footprints in the Confucian Temple. Among them, the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty visited the Confucian Temple 11 times to worship Confucius.

Now the Confucian Temple in Beijing was built in the Yuan Dynasty and went through the construction of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties before forming today's scale. From the Yuan Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, the Guozixue and Xuansheng Confucius Temple were built on the site of the Privy Council of the Jin Dynasty. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Confucian Temple was abandoned. In the ninth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, it was renovated and renovated the Dacheng Palace. In the fourth year of Xuande, the Dacheng Hall and the temple were repaired. In the ninth year of Jiajing, the Chongsheng Shrine was added. In the twenty-eighth year of Wanli, all the gray tiles of the Confucian Temple were replaced with green glazed tiles, which improved the architectural level of the Confucian Temple.

Qing Dynasty, in the Confucian Temple, 13 stele pavilions and 1 burning house were added, in the second year of Qianlong, the main hall of the Confucian Temple, the main gate, and the stele pavilion were all changed to yellow glazed tiles. In the 32nd year of Guangxu, the worship of Confucius was promoted to the great worship, and then the Dacheng Hall was changed from seven rooms to three entrances to nine rooms and five entrances, that is, the so-called "Ninety-Five Honor" - nine rooms wide, five rooms deep, the scale and layout of the top of the yellow tile hall with heavy eaves.

Beginning with the Han Dynasty, successive dynasties continued to formulate rituals dedicated to Confucius. In the modern Ming and Qing dynasties, almost every emperor has visited the Confucian Temple, but the Qianlong Emperor, who reigned for 60 years, left the most footprints in the Confucian Temple, and visited the Confucian Temple 11 times. The first time was in February of the third year of Qianlong, and the replacement of yellow tiles in the Confucian Temple was completed. A month later, in March, Emperor Qianlong came to the Confucian Temple for the second time to worship Confucius and inspect the school. After that, in addition to sacrificing holes, he also visited the temple in person when the 34th year of Qianlong overhauled the temple project was completed, went to Biyong to give lectures when the spring of the 50th year of Qianlong was completed, and visited the 13th carved stone in the spring of the 60th year of Qianlong to read and release the ancestors.

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