This attraction introduction is compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · Scenic Spots section). Ticket prices, opening hours, transportation, and contact information mentioned in the text may be outdated. Please refer to the latest official announcements from the scenic area before traveling; some content consists of historical background/cultural introductions and is for reference only.
Xiangtan Confucian Temple is located on Chengzheng Street in Xiangtan City. It was first built in the early Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty, originally beside the Small East Gate. In the 14th year of the Zhizheng period of the Yuan Dynasty (1354), it was destroyed by war. In the 2nd year of the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1369), it was rebuilt on the present site as a special place for sacrificing to Confucius.
The temple is an enclosed courtyard complex, consisting of the Lingxing Gate, Pan Pond, memorial archway, Dacheng Gate, Dacheng Hall, Sixian Shrine, Chongsheng Hall, Bell and Drum Pavilion, and others. The Dacheng Hall is the main hall. It has a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, nine ridges, owl-tail ornaments, and a surrounding corridor supported by 16 round ancient columns. It has yellow glazed tiles, and the inner and outer beams, caissons, and bracket sets are all painted in polychrome. During the 16th year of the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1383), the 11th year of the Zhengde period (1516), and other years, the academy was repaired or expanded. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was again destroyed by war. It was rebuilt in the 9th year of the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1652). It was repaired many times during the Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, Guangxu, and Xuantong periods, as well as in the 3rd year of the Republic of China (1914), the 36th year of the Republic of China (1947), and 1983. From the Lingxing Gate to outside the main gate, structures have already been demolished.
The Confucian Temple has successively been the site of Xiangtan County Simple Normal School, Xiangbei Construction College, the Party School of the Xiangtan Prefectural Committee, Xiangtan Normal College, and Xiangtan Normal University. Today, the Dacheng Gate, Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Hall, and Bell and Drum Pavilion remain, and it is now a cultural relic protection unit of Xiangtan City.
In front of the temple is Xuegong Square, also called Xueping, and at the southern end of the square is the Daming Wall. The temple has red walls and yellow tiles and is magnificent in momentum. The main gate is called Kuixing Gate. In the front courtyard, juniper trees are planted on both left and right, evergreen all year round and giving off a subtle fragrance. Inside Kuixing Gate is a crescent-shaped Pan Pond, surrounded by stone balustrades. Near Pan Pond are three stone archways. The plaque of the due-south stone archway is inscribed with the four characters "Siwen Zaizi" (Culture Is Here), while the east and west archways connect through to the streets. Passing through the stone archways is the Dacheng Gate. To the left and right after entering are the Bell and Drum Pavilions with flying eaves and green tiles. From the Dacheng Gate toward the Dacheng Hall, a stone-paved pathway leads directly to the platform base of the main hall. The platform is one meter high and built entirely of layered stone blocks. The steps are divided into left and right flights, with a stone-carved coiled dragon in the center, embellished with clouds and sea waves, vivid and lifelike, as if leaping from the stone. The Dacheng Hall is of hip-and-gable double-eave structure, surrounded by 16 round stone columns. The inner and outer beams, purlins, caissons, bracket sets, and fan lattice are all painted in polychrome, with yellow tiles and flying eaves, creating a magnificent sight. Behind the hall is the Yasheng Hall, which echoes front and back with the Dacheng Gate and Kuixing Gate, further highlighting the grandeur of the Dacheng Hall as the main structure.
In 1926, as the workers' and peasants' movement rose, the First Xiangtan County Student Congress was held at the Confucian Temple. In 1927, Comrade Yang Zhaozhi, secretary of the CPC Xiangtan County Committee and chairman of the General Trade Union, was killed at Xueping. Therefore, this site has certain revolutionary commemorative significance. The Confucian Temple is now the South Campus of Hunan University of Science and Technology (Xiangtan Normal University).
