View from the Gate of Reverance at the tree filled spaces ofthe South and Front Court of the Imperial College (Photo November 2007).
(5) Qianlong Stele Collection Hall
This page was last updated: June 22, 2017
Confucius Temple (Kong Miao)
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The Qianlong Stele Collection
Entrance to the GreenHouse like Hall containing the Stele Collection with the 13 Confucian Classics.
Row after Row of the Qianlong Stone Tablets. A View across the Hall.
One of the Stone Tablets near the North End of the Hall used to be placed below the central staircase giving access to the Western Classroom of the Yi Lun Hall at the Imperial College (GuoZi Jian). It commemorates a Tree which was planted by the Administrator of the Imperial College during the Yuan Dynasty Years.
There is a story to this tree as well. According to history tales, after a long life in the College Courtyard the Tree finally began to wither during the years of the Qing Dynasty. However, although it looked dead it did not rot. According to the story, however, the tree suddenly returned to life and began to sprout shoots in the year 1752 AD, the 16Th Year of the Reign of Qianlong, during renovations and expansions of the Confucius Temple.
Furthermore, later it flowered exactly in time for the celebrations of the 60Th Birthday of the Empress Dowager Hsu-Tzi (Cixi the Dragon Lady) on November the 29Th of 1895 AD. The depiction of the revived Tree on a huge stone stele was created by Qing Dynasty Cabinet Member (=Da Xue Shi) Jiang Fu, as praise to the Tree and of course in greeting of the Birthday of Cixi. The Stele was inscribed with a Poem from the hand of the Qianlong Emperor and was erected at the Imperial Academy.
The fundamental writing for this great work was achieved by just one man, Jiang Heng, a senior scholar at the time of Emperor KangXi of the Qing Dynasty. It took him 12 years to complete the writing of the 630,000 characters. After these twelve years, starting in 1791 AD the stone tablets were engraved with the caracters. It took another three years to complete the engraving, after which no less than 189 stone steles had been erected.
Jiang Heng was a Gong Sheng, a scholar recommended by his local government for further studies at the adjacent Imperial College.
How to find the Qianlong Stele Collection Hall
The Stele Collection Hall is located exactly between Confucius Temple and the Imperial College and is part of the Capital Museum. Althoug the Stele Collection and Hall can clearly be seen from the Central Courtyard of the Confucius Temple, and one can even look inside, there is no access possible from the Confucius Temple side of the Complex. To Enter the Hall return Southward through Confucius Temple and enter the South Front Court of the Imperial College. From there, keep the direction East and pass Northward through a minor Gate, Taixue Gate, to find the south and only entrance to the Stele Collection Hall.
In the adjoining Imperial College are 189 steles on which are chiseled the '13 classics' of Confucius.
The Books involved are The Book of Changes (I Ching), the "Collection of Ancient Texts", The Book of Songs, The Rites of the Zhou, a book called "Etiquette and Ceremonials", The Rites, "The Analects", the Book of Filial Piety, "Near Correctness" and the Book of Meng-Ke (Mencius). Furthermore there are no less than three versions of the "Spring and Autumn Annals", one version with notes from Zuo Qiuming, one version with those of GongYang Gao,and a third one with notes from GuLiang Chi.
Funny Chinese mistranslation on a sign along the way to the Qianlong Collection Hall.
His home was the town of JinTan in what currently is part of Jiangsu Province. In his early career Jiang Heng went to Xi' An on the advice of a friend to seek a position under General Nian Gengyao. Although he refused the function for fear off political troubles, Jiang toured the old Capital ofChang'An (Xi'an) and during his wanderings fell disappointed with the
fact that the confucian temple of the City had several different versions of the Confucian Classics on their steles engraved in Stone during the Kai Cheng Reign of the Tang Dynasty. According to story this was the inspiration for his later determination to inscribe the complete 13 Confucian Classics in Stone.
Later, in remembrance of the tenacious old scholar and his incredible patience, the Temple flock had a statue crafted to resemble Jiang Heng. The Statue as well as a Stone Tomb Coffer of Jiang Heng can be found just inside the South Entrance of the Stone Steles Hall.
Detail of the Portrait of Jiang Heng carved on the front of the Stone Coffer of the Tomb of Jiang Heng.
The Stone Coffer Tomb of Jiang Heng with inscriptions and a portrait of the Scholar. The Tomb Coffer is located just inside the Entrance to the Stele Hall.
Details of the Jiang Heng Stone Tomb Coffer.
Among the volumes of Stele Collection are Steles in various shapes and sizes. The majority are well over a persons height and pretty much plain and gray, except for inscribed text. Others such as a collection near the North End of the Hall are smaller steles of quadrangle shape, reaching to about half a persons height and bearing only a few large characters. These are the Words or Laws of Confucius.
Among the many steles there are some with remarkably clear and well crafted, even beautifully shaped Chinese Characters, clearly done by masters of Caligraphy and Stone Working.
Several of the Steles appear to have fallen down and broken, or were otherwise damaged in the past. All of them have been restored, albeit it with sometimes appallingly crude methods.
The Statue of Yuan Yan (Right), and The Statue of the Poet Lu Zi (Left), who was a renowned Chinese literary critic and the first important writer to emerge from the kingdom of Wu (222 AD–280 AD). Both Statues are located about halfway inside the large stele Hall.
Broken and Crudely Repaired Stone Tablet.
Imperial Seal of the Ching Dynasty and ancient stylized characters.
Statues in the Qianlong Stele Collection Hall
The Stele Collection Hall further holds two statues. The First one is the Statue of Yuan Yan. The second is the statue of a happy looking Poet Lu Zi (Or Lu Ji) (261 AD -303 AD), from Suzhou in current day Jiangsu Province. Lu was a descendant of the Ruling Family of the State of Wu, one of the Three
Endless rows of similar steles at the Qianlong Stele Collection with the 13 Confucian Classics inscribed.
Kingdoms that fought eachother for dominance inside the Chinese Culture Area after the Fall of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 221 AD). Lu State was the longest lasting of these three Kingdoms, but in the end was annexed by the State of Jin in 280 AD. Although Lu Zi left a considerable body of lyric poetry in imitative style, he is better known as a writer of fu, an intricately structured form of poetry mixed with prose. Lu Zi was further a Literary Critic and student of Confucianism. His most well-known book is Wen Fu, or "The Art of Writing". He is also known by his Courtesy name ShiSheng.
This page was last updated on: June 22, 2017
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