Quzhou Confucius Temple

Quzhou Confucius Temple, also known as the Southern Confucius Ancestral Temple, is one of only two Confucius Ancestral Temples in China. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit. On December 12, 1981, the Confucius Temple was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Zhejiang Province. On November 20, 1996, the Confucius Temple was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. The Quzhou Confucius Temple was built in 1253, relocated to its current site in 1520, and has been relocated and rebuilt three times over the past 700 years. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese army occupied Quzhou twice, and the musical instruments and ritual vessels in the ancestral temple were looted. In 1947, the National Government allocated funds for repairs. In 1959 and 1961, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and the Qu County Government allocated funds for repairs. In 1984, the Quzhou Municipal Government allocated funds to repair the main building of the ancestral temple. In 1988, the Quzhou Municipal Government allocated funds again to repair the ancestral temple, and rebuilt the Shengze Building and repaired the Silu Pavilion. In May 2000, the west axis of the ancestral temple and the Confucius Mansion, rebuilt by the Quzhou Municipal People's Government, were completed, costing 18 million yuan. The Southern Confucius Ancestral Temple has three axes: the central axis has the Dacheng Hall, which is dedicated to Confucius. The west axis has the Six Generations of Dukes Temple, the Xifeng Temple, and the Five Branches Temple, which are dedicated to the ancestors of the Confucius family; the Silu Pavilion is dedicated to the wooden statues of Confucius and his wife, and the portraits of the sages. The east axis has the Five Kings Temple and the Enguan Temple, which are dedicated to the five generations of Confucius' ancestors and the officials who contributed to the Quzhou Confucius family. On the west side of the ancestral temple is the Confucius Mansion and the back garden where the eldest grandson lives.