Temple of Confucius, Qufu

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Location	China
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iv, vi
Reference	704
UNESCO region	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1994 (18th Session)

Temple of Confucius, Qufu
"Temple of Confucius" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters
Simplified Chinese	孔庙
Traditional Chinese	孔廟
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kǒng miào IPA [kʰʊ̀ŋ mi̯âu̯] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Húng miuh Jyutping Hung2 miu6 Southern Min Tâi-lô Khóng biō

Coordinates: 35°35′48″N 116°59′3″E / 35.59667°N 116.98417°E / 35.59667; 116.98417

The Temple of Confucius (Chinese: 孔庙; pinyin: Kǒng miào) 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 (三孔), i.e. "The Three Confucian [sites]".

Within two years after the death of Confucius, his former house in Qufu was already consecrated as a temple by the Prince of Lu. In 205 BC, Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty was the first emperor to offer sacrifices to the memory of Confucius in Qufu. He set an example for many emperors and high officials to follow. Later, emperors would visit Qufu after their enthronement or on important occasions such as a successful war. In total, 12 different emperors paid 20 personal visits to Qufu to worship Confucius. About 100 others sent their deputies for 196 official visits. The original three-room house of Confucius was removed from the temple complex during a rebuilding undertaken in 611 AD. In 1012 and in 1094, during the Song Dynasty, the temple was extended into a design with three sections and four courtyards, around which eventually more than 400 rooms were arranged. Fire and vandalism destroyed the temple in 1214, during the Jin Dynasty. It was restored to its former extent by the year 1302 during the Yuan Dynasty. Shortly thereafter, in 1331, the temple was framed in an enclosure wall modelled on the Imperial palace.