Chengjiang Confucian Temple: Old stories of Sun Yat-sen University

Chengjiang Confucian Temple sits in the center of the government seat of central Yunnan’s Chengjiang County. Local elders love performances in the temple during market days just as they did 200 years ago. It is said that the temple is renowned within the province for its large scale.

Chengjiang Confucian Temple was built in Guangxu Period(1875-1908) of the Qing Dynasty. Though its screen wall no longer exists, the Panchi Pond is well preserved. No one can tell where the water of the pond comes from and where it flows to.

The Panchi Pond is famous for the stone carvings. Above it, there is an arch bridge which is engraved with the patterns of seahorses, fish, dragons, phoenixes, rhinos, flowers, birds, Chinese zodiac signs, etc.

In 1938, the Japanese aggressors increased their attack in south China, threatening the city of Guangzhou. A year later, the Sun Yat-sen University moved from Guangzhou to Chengjiang in order to evade the war. At that time, the Xiangxian Hall and Minghuan Hall of the Chengjiang Confucian Temple were used as classrooms for the teachers and students from Sun Yat-sen University.

Dacheng Hall with a capacity of 400 to 500 people was used as the conference and speech hall. Scholars such as Wu Kang, Chen Guozhi, Zhu Qianzhi, and Ling Dayang once held lectures and seminars there.

By Gong Jiangyang  Photographs by Meng Zhigang