Xiangyun Confucian Temple, Confucian temple in Xiangcheng Town, China.
Xiangyun Confucian Temple is a temple complex in Xiangcheng Town featuring multiple halls and courtyards arranged around central spaces. These structures were built to accommodate traditional ceremonies and gatherings centered on Confucian teachings.
Founded in 1385 (Hongwu 18) about three li south of the county town, the temple was rebuilt in 1469 and moved to its present site inside the walls in 1492–1493. It was damaged in 1857 during the Du Wenxiu revolt, leaving only the Dacheng Hall, Wenming Arch and side gates, and rebuilt from 1876 to 1878 under magistrate Ming Tai. Only the Zunjing Pavilion and Cangsheng Pavilion remain.
The temple's name changed with its county: it was the Yunnan County Confucian Temple until the county became Xiangyun. The Cangsheng Hall once held three statues on separate floors: Wenchang on the ground floor, Confucius on the second and Cangjie, the legendary inventor of writing, on the third. Until the Republic, a sacrifice was held each year on the 27th day of the eighth lunar month, Confucius's birthday.
Only two buildings survive: Zunjing Pavilion inside the campus of Xiangcheng No. 1 Junior Middle School and Cangsheng Pavilion about 50 m southeast, outside the campus at the junction of Jiufeng Road and Wenhua Street. The two are separate, so plan to see both; access to the school grounds may be restricted during class hours.
Only two buildings survive: the Zunjingge library and the Cangshengge, about 50 metres apart. The Cangshengge once held statues of Wenchang on the ground floor, Confucius on the second and Cangjie, the legendary inventor of writing, on the third. In the 1970s it stored crop stalks.
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