Anshun Confucian Temple - the palace of stone carving art.

🏝The historical and cultural district of Anshun Ancient City in Guizhou, which has a history of more than 600 years, takes the Confucian Temple, Martial Temple, County Academy, Rulin Road, Caiya Street and East Street as the overall framework, forming an overall pattern of living on the mountain and by the water. Among them, the Anshun Confucian Temple, also known as the "Fuxue Palace", located in the northeast corner of the city, is the most complete Confucian temple building preserved in Guizhou Province and can be called the "treasure of the city" of Anshun City. 🏝According to the "Anshun Prefecture Records", Anshun Confucian Temple was first built in the 27th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1394 AD). It is one of the earliest Confucian temples built in the ethnic minority areas of southwest China. It was also a political means for the Ming Dynasty to permanently stabilize the border, "to educate the people of the border with appeasement", and implement "changing customs and habits, with etiquette as the basis; to educate the people, with education as the first priority". It has always been known as the "Holy Temple of Confucianism in Guizhou". 🏝The entire temple is built on the gentle slope of "Kongming Hill" and is divided into four courtyards. It has a rigorous layout and complete system, covering an area of ​​11,500 square meters. Inside the temple, buildings such as the Screen Wall, Li Gate, Yi Road, Palace Wall, Dismounting Stele, Pan Pool, Guixiang Pavilion, Zunjing Pavilion and Dacheng Hall are arranged from south to north. Although it has undergone many reconstructions and additions, it still retains the original historical appearance of the Confucian Temple of Ming and Qing Dynasties. 🏝Anshun Confucian Temple is also known as "the most exquisite Confucian Temple in China". The Lingxing Gate, Panchi and other buildings in the temple are all made of brick and stone carvings. They have a wide range of styles, diverse techniques, vivid patterns and profound meanings. It is known as the "Palace of Stone Carving Art". After entering the mountain gate, there are two stone archways standing solemnly on both sides of the courtyard, engraved with "Virtue Matching Heaven and Earth" and "Taoism Unrivaled in Ancient and Modern Times" respectively. 🏝The core building of Anshun Confucian Temple, the Dacheng Hall, is a stone and wood structure hall with a hip roof and a width of about 20 meters. There are two 5-meter-high eaves columns under the eaves of the corridor in front of the hall. They are cloud dragon stone pillars carved out of two huge stones. From afar, two lifelike stone dragons seem to have descended from the sky, circling and dancing among the auspicious clouds, appearing and disappearing from time to time, which is a breathtaking sight. 🏝According to the "Continued Anshun Prefecture Records", this pair of cloud dragon stone pillars were carved in the Ming Dynasty and have a history of 600 years. The carving technique of the stone pillar is mainly openwork, and it also combines techniques such as relief, round carving and flat carving. The engineering difficulty and craftsmanship level are unique in the country. It is the only openwork cloud dragon stone pillar in China, and it has extremely high cultural relic value and artistic value. 🚥【Transportation Guide】 ⭐️Take bus No. 8, 9 or 17 and get off at Wuxiao Station; bus No. 11 and 15 also pass through Anshun Confucian Temple. You can transfer to bus No. 8 at Anshun West Station when passing Huangguoshu Waterfall. ⭐️It is more convenient to take a taxi or drive yourself, just navigate directly to the Confucian Temple.