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Kong Miao (Temple of Confucius) (first built 5th c. B.C., now mostly 16th c. onward)

Kong Miao, the Temple of Confucius, is located in Qufu in Shandong province. The origins of the temple date back to the 5th century B.C., shortly after the Sage's death. In 478 B.C., Duke Ai of the state of Lu (in today's Shandong Province) built a temple honoring Confucius, who was still largely unknown outside the province. By the 2nd century B.C., the fame of Confucius had spread and the Han emperor Wudi began offering sacrifices at this site in 205 B.C. The temple was expanded but subsequent generations of rulers, and for the next thousand years, untold numbers of buildings were built and torn down in many rounds of rebuilding.

In 739, the Tang dynasty posthumously honored Confucius as Prince Wenxuan. Under the subsequent Song dynasty, scholars such as Zhu Xi (1130-1200) breathed new life into Confucianism by synthesizing what had been a largely moralistic philosophy of sage kings with a coherent metaphysical framework that accounted for all reality in humanist terms. With greater emphasis placed on education and the role of master-disciple learning, Confucian academies began to appear across China in great numbers. These academies followed the form of the White Deer Grotto Academy of Zhu Xi, which in turn was based on the layout of the Temple of Confucius. Through such institutions, Kong Miao became a protypical institution that exerted architectural influence into Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. A particularly powerful example is Dosan Seowon Academy in Korea, which became an essential prototype of future academies in that country.

The precise layout of the Temple of Confucius as seen today largely dates from the early 16th century, when the temple was rebuilt following a massive conflaguration in 1499 sparked by lightning. Since it was built almost at the same time as the Forbidden City in Beijing, there are many design similarities between the two complexes. Particularly in terms of color, both make full use of red walls, yellow roofs, and white marble stonework. The axial layout of the Forbidden City and its use of nested courtyards is another design feature held in common with Kong Miao.

A visitor to Kong Miao enters on the south side through a succession of gates. After passing through four courtyards lined in succession, one arrives at the Star of Literature pavilion. This hall, first built in 1098 and then rebuilt in 1191 with its present name, is seven bays across and two stories tall. The upper story contains a library (accounting for its name) while the lower story was used as a residence hall for the master of ceremonies and his assistants at the temple.

After passing through this hall, the visitor encounters the Gate of Great Achievement, which is the only gate outside the Forbidden City that is five bays across. The gate adjoins a two covered corridors that branch off to the north, forming an enclosed quadrangle that houses the Hall of Great Achievement. In formal layout, the placement of this hall is identical to the Hall of Supreme Harmony at the Forbidden City, where the reigning Emperor maintained his throne. The four towers at the corners of the quadrangle—an architectural feature reserved for rulers—reinforces the sense that the temple honors an individual of great rank almost equal to the Emperors.