The Dacheng Hall is located to the north of the Dacheng Gate. It is the main hall for worshipping Confucius. It was first built in the first year of Jingyou in the Northern Song Dynasty (1034 AD). The Dacheng Hall is 16.5 meters high, 28.4 meters long and 22 meters wide. The foundation base is 1.5 meters high. In the center of the hall hangs a very large portrait of Confucius in the country. Below there is a wooden shrine.
Inside the shrine mainly is the memorial tablet of ‘The Sage and King of Great Accomplishment, the First Teacher of Confucius’. On both sides are four white marble stone statues of Mencius, Zeng Shen, Yan Hui and Kong Ji as the four sub-sages. Ancient musical instruments for sacrifice are placed in front of the statue of Confucius. On the base in the hall is a bronze statue of Confucius, which is 4. 18 meters high and weighs 2.5 tons. The walls around the Dacheng Hall are inlaid with murals of ‘The Sacred Traces of Confucius’. They are made of jade, chicken blood jelly, Shoushan stone, jadeite, gold jewelry, mother-of-pearl and other famous ornaments in relief inlay. Each painting is 2.5 meters high and 1.3 meters wide. There are 38 paintings in total, with 408 figures. The carved figures, pavilions and towers, and humanistic stories are very vivid and lifelike. It expresses the exemplary image of Confucius as ‘The Model Teacher for All Ages’. There are steles such as ‘Stele of Confucius Asking about Rituals’, ‘Stele of Confucius Temple in Jiqing’, ‘Stele of Conferring Honors on the Wife of the Sage’, and ‘Stele of Conferring Honors on the Four Sub-Sages’. The ‘Stele of Confucius Asking about Rituals’ is particularly famous and it is one of the ‘treasures of the Confucius Temple in Nanjing’. It was engraved in the second year of Yongming in the Southern Qi Dynasty (484 AD). It records that at the end of the decline of slavery in the late Spring and Autumn Period. Out of his admiration for the ritual and music system of the Zhou Dynasty, Confucius, with the desire to make the country prosperous and safe and seek talents to help the world, went from Qufu, his hometown, to Luoyang, the capital city of the Zhou Dynasty in the 24th year of Duke Zhao of Lu (518 BC) to investigate the legal systems and seek ways to strengthen the power of the slave-owning regime in the State of Lu. Opening hours: Open all year round from 09:00 to 22:00. Preferential policies: Children: Children under 1.4 meters (excluding) in height or under 6 years old (including) are free when accompanied by parents; minors with a height of 1.4 meters (including) or above or aged from 6 years old (excluding) to under 18 years old (excluding) can enjoy half price with valid certificates. Seniors: Seniors aged 70 years old (including) and above can enter for free with valid certificates; seniors aged from 60 years old (including) to under 70 years old (excluding) can enjoy half price with valid certificates. People with acts of bravery: Those with the ‘Certificate of Acts of Bravery’ can enter for free with valid certificates. Fire rescue personnel: Those with the ‘Fire Rescue Certificate’ can enter for free with valid certificates. Blood donation honorary personnel: Those with the ‘Blood Donation Honor Certificate’ can enter for free with valid certificates. Retired cadres: Retired cadres can enter for free with valid retirement certificates (one escort is allowed). Retired military cadres: Retired military cadres can enter for free with valid retirement certificates. Disabled people: Disabled people can enter for free with valid disability certificates. Military personnel: Active-duty military personnel can enter for free with valid military certificates (military officer certificates, soldier certificates, civilian cadre certificates). Preferential personnel: People across the country who hold the ‘Preferential Treatment Certificate for Veterans of the People’s Republic of China’ and the ‘Preferential Treatment Certificate for the Surviving Family Members of Martyrs, Servicemen Who Died on Duty, and Servicemen Who Died of Illnesses of the People’s Republic of China’ can enter for free with the preferential treatment certificate and their ID cards. Students: Full-time undergraduate and below students (excluding adult education students) can enjoy half price with valid certificates.Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple
The Dacheng Hall is located to the north of the Dacheng Gate. It is the main hall for worshipping Co[...]
