Beijing Guozijian and Temple of Confucious
Photo essay
Beijing Guozijian and Temple of Confucious are both located on the same grounds on Guizijian street.
Entry to the complex costs 30 rmb, which is about $4.
Beijing Guozijian was China’s national university during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. From the time of the Hongwu Emperor in the Ming dynasty, the study of law, math, calligraphy, equestrianism and archery took place here. During the 1898 reforms of the Qing dynasty, the educational and administerial functions of the Guozijian were transferred to the Imperial Capital University, which later became the modern Peking University. The Guozijian was shut down completely in 1905.
This is Taixue (Highest Scholarship) Gate, a traditional Chinese architectural arch — a paifeng, which serves as the gateway structure to the main teaching area.
Beyond Taixue Gate lies The Biyong (Jade Disc) Hall. This is a square pavilion standing in the centre of a circular pond. The pond is crossed by four marble bridges. The pavilion has a double-eaved roof surmounted by a gilded sphere.
Civil and military officials from the Imperial Court and students of the university would occasionally attend The Biyong Hall to hear the Emperor expound on the Confucian classics. Sometimes there would be over 3,000 attendees. Officials would be spread throughout the crowd to repeat the speech to those out of earshot. This is the throne from where the Emperor delivered his remarks.
In the 18th century, Emperor Qianlong gave an order for the Thirteen Confucian Classics to be engraved in stone. It took twenty years for Jiang Heng, a scholar from Jiangsu Province, to carry out this order carving 630,000 characters onto 189 stone tablets. Today these tablets are located to the east of Taixue Gate.
Beijing Temple of Confucious is to the east of Beijing Guozijian. It was constructed in 1302 during the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). The temple complex covers a total area of 22,000 square meters, making it the second largest temple dedicated to Confucious in China, ranking only behind the Temple of Confucious in Qufu, where the greatest thinker and educationalist of ancient China was born.
Confucious’ teachings and philosophy, known as Confucianism, have underpinned East Asian culture and society for 2,500 years. Confucianism emphasizes family values, respect for elders and authority figures, personal integrity and education.
This temple consists of four courtyards. The main structures include Xianshi Gate (Gate of the First Teacher), Dacheng Gate (Gate of Great Accomplishment), Dacheng Hall (Hall of Great Accomplishment) and Chongshengci (Worship Hall). Dacheng Hall is the main building in the temple, where the memorial ceremony for Confucious was often held.
There is a museum on the grounds which recounts the spread of Confucianism throughout Asia and the wider world. One of the installations shows a timeline of Confucianism’s impact on Korea, Vietnam and Japan. It suggests that these three nations are currently in a period of “transition” away from Confucianism.
Throughout the temple complex, there are many stone tablets mounted on Bixis used to commemorate various historical events. A Bixi is a figure from Chinese mythology, one of the nine sons of the Dragon King. He is depicted as a dragon with the head of a turtle.
