Datong Confucian Temple

Welcome to the Datong Confucian Temple, also known as the Datong Imperial Academy. This temple served as the highest educational institution and a place of worship for Confucius during the Ming and Qing dynasties in Shanxi province. It was originally built during the early Ming dynasty in the southeastern corner of the county town, which is now located within the Pingcheng district of Datong city. The temple still retains its original architecture, including the Ji gate, Dacheng hall, divine library, and divine kitchen, making it a protected cultural heritage site in Shanxi province. The original location of the Datong Imperial Academy was to the east of the prefectural capital. During the Northern Wei dynasty, it was known as the Zhongshu School. In the Liao dynasty, it became the Western Capital National Academy. In the Jin dynasty, it was renamed the Imperial Academy. During the Yuan dynasty, it was changed to the Datong County School. In the eighth year of the Hongwu reign (1375), it was upgraded to the level of an imperial academy. In the twenty-ninth year of the Hongwu reign (1396), the original imperial academy was rebuilt as a mansion for the local governor, and the new imperial academy was relocated to the former site of the Yunzhong relay station. After several expansions, the Sujing hall was added in the second year of the Xuande reign (1427), and the Chongwen pavilion was added in the ninth year of the Zhengtong reign (1444). In the twelfth year of the Jiajing reign (1533), the temple suffered severe damage due to a military coup in Datong city. It was rebuilt in the sixteenth year of the Jiajing reign (1537). In the fourth year of the Tianqi reign (1624), the Yan tower was added, and the grand layout of the temple was basically formed. In the 1990s, the sixth middle school of Datong city moved into the temple, and only six parts of the temple remain: the Dacheng hall, divine kitchen, divine library, local scholar temple, famous official temple, and Ji gate. In 2005, the cultural heritage department carried out a major renovation of the divine kitchen and divine library. In 2008, the Datong city government launched a protection and restoration project for the temple. On July 20th of the same year, the sixth middle school moved out of the temple, and the teaching building, which had been built less than 15 years ago, was also demolished. Visitors to the Datong Confucian Temple can explore the ancient architecture and learn about the history of education and Confucianism in China. The temple is open to the public from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm every day, and admission fees are reasonable. Guided tours are available in English and other languages upon request. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the rich cultural heritage of Datong city!

Location: Datong

Source: Wikimedia