page_title: Temple of Confucius, Qufu
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Temple of Confucius, Qufu / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Lingxing Gate of Qufu Confucian Temple, Qufu 中文: 曲阜孔庙棂星门
context_page_description: The Temple of Confucius in Qufu, Shandong Province, is the largest and most renowned temple of Confucius in East Asia.
  Since 1994, the Temple of Confucius has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu". The two other parts of the site are the nearby Kong Family Mansion, where the main-line descendants of Confucius lived, and the Cemetery of Confucius a few kilometers to the north, where Confucius and many of his descendants have been buried. Those three sites are collectively known in Qufu as San Kong, i.e. "The Three Confucian [sites]".
context_section_description: The temple complex is among the largest in China, it covers an area of 16,000 square metres and has a total of 460 rooms. Because the last major redesign following the fire in 1499 took place shortly after the building of the Forbidden City in the Ming Dynasty, the architecture of the Temple of Confucius resembles that of the Forbidden City in many ways.
  The main part of the temple consists of nine courtyards arranged on a central axis, which is oriented in the north–south direction and is 1.3 km in length. The first three courtyards have small gates and are planted with tall pine trees, they serve an introductory function. The first (southernmost) gate is named "Lingxing Gate" (欞星門) after a star in the Great Bear constellation, the name suggests that Confucius is a star from heaven. The buildings in the remaining courtyards form the heart of the complex. They are impressive structures with yellow roof-tiles (otherwise reserved for the emperor) and red-painted walls, they are surrounded by dark-green pine trees to create a color contrast with complementary colors.
  The main structures of the temple are:
  Lingxing Gate (欞星門)
  Shengshi Gate (聖時門)
  Hongdao Gate (弘道門)
  Dazhong Gate (大中門)
  Thirteen Stele Pavilions (十三碑亭)
  Dacheng Gate (大成門)
  Kuiwen Hall (奎文閣, built in 1018, restored in 1504 during the Ming Dynasty and in 1985)
  Xing Tan Pavilion (杏壇, Apricot Platform)
  De Mu Tian Di Arch
  Liangwu (兩廡)
  Dacheng Hall (大成殿, built in the Qing Dynasty)
  Resting Hall (寢殿, dedicated to Confucius' Wife)
caption: Lingxing Gate
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