Last updated 2026-10-23

Southern Confucius Family Temple

Most Confucius temples in China were built by the state or by local schools to honour the sage. The temple on Xinqiao Street in Quzhou is different. It is a family temple, built by Confucius's own descendants, and only one other place in China has the same status, the Kong family temple in Qufu. People in Quzhou call the town the southern seat of the Kong clan, and the temple is the reason. It is small, calm and usually far quieter than Qufu, and it sits a short walk from the restored old streets around Shuitingmen.

How the Kong clan came south

The story begins with the fall of the Northern Song. In 1127 the Jurchen Jin army took Kaifeng and carried off two emperors. A prince, Zhao Gou, was enthroned in the south as Emperor Gaozong, and Kong Duanyou, a 48th generation descendant of Confucius who held the hereditary title of Duke Yansheng, followed him. Chinese Wikipedia says Kong Duanyou brought with him carved wooden figures of Confucius and his wife. Once the court had settled at Lin'an, today's Hangzhou, the emperor granted the family a home in Quzhou, which was peaceful and well connected. In 1136 the prefectural school was assigned to them as a temporary family temple.

Back in the north, the Jin made Kong Duanyou's younger brother the new Duke Yansheng in Qufu. From then on there were two lines, a southern branch and a northern one. The split lasted beyond the Song. In 1282 Kublai Khan invited the southern head of the clan, Kong Zhu, to return to Qufu and take up the rites there. Kong Zhu declined, saying his ancestors' graves were now in Quzhou, and passed the title to a cousin in the north. The southern Kongs stayed in Quzhou for good.

A temple that moved three times

The first purpose built temple went up in 1253 on a lakeside site in the northeast of the city, paid for by Emperor Lizong. It burned in the war of 1276, was moved to the south of the city, and in 1520, in the Ming, was moved again to the present site and finished the following year. The halls you see today mostly reflect a large repair of 1821 to 1823. Between 1998 and 2000 the city spent 16 million yuan rebuilding the western axis and the Kong mansion. The temple became a provincial protected site in 1981 and a national one in 1996.

What you walk through

The compound covers about 13,900 square metres and faces south, with a garden at the back. It is laid out on three parallel axes, and it helps to know which is which before you go in.

The central axis is the temple proper. You pass the main gate and the Dacheng Gate, then walk a paved path between two side galleries to the Dacheng Hall. The east gallery honours earlier clan ancestors, and the west gallery honours Kong Duanyou, the ancestor who crossed south. Old cypresses shade the courtyard. The Dacheng Hall itself has a double eaved hip and gable roof, five bays wide and five deep, about 16.6 metres each way.

Red walled entrance gate of the Southern Confucius Family Temple under a blue sky — One of the gates of the temple compound. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Siyuwj, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The eastern axis holds the family school, the Chongsheng Gate and Shrine to Confucius's forebears, and a library building. The western axis holds shrines to five branches of the family, to the holders of the hereditary title, and to six generations of dukes, ending at the Silu Pavilion, a name that means longing for Lu, the home state of Confucius. Just west of that is the Kong mansion, once the office of the hereditary Erudite of the Five Classics and later of the official in charge of the sacrifices.

Visitors often say the mood is what stays with them. There is no great crowd of stone steles as in Qufu, and on a weekday you may have courtyards to yourself.

The autumn ceremony

Quzhou held its first international Confucius culture festival here in 2004, and the southern clan's ceremony honouring Confucius was added to the national intangible heritage list in 2011. The ceremony is held around Confucius's birthday in late September. In 2026 the local news reported that the temple would close to visitors on 27 and 28 September for the rite, with roads around it closed to traffic. If you are planning a trip for that week, expect closures and check the notice.

Tickets, hours and booking

Ctrip and Qunar both list opening hours of 9:00 to 18:00, with the last entry and ticket sales at 17:30. Listings disagree on the ticket. A Tide News guide published in April 2026 gives a fee of about 10 yuan in its price list and in the same article says entry is free with a booking through the Quzhou culture and tourism WeChat account. The Qunar and Ctrip listings set out free entry for people aged 18 and under and those aged 70 and over, and half price for students and for people aged 60 to 69. Bring your passport or ID either way, and check the day's notice. The visitor service number listed for the temple is 0570 3041551.

Getting there and what to pair it with

The temple is at 96 Xinqiao Street in Kecheng district, and Qunar notes that city bus 1 runs past. From Quzhou railway station a taxi is the simplest option. Allow one and a half to two and a half hours. The China Confucianism Museum and the Quzhou Museum are close by, and the Shuitingmen historic district, with its gate tower and snack streets, makes an easy walk afterwards.

A natural day in town is the temple in the morning and the Longyou Grottoes in the afternoon. Jianglang Mountain needs its own morning further south in Jiangshan.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as the Qufu temple?

No. Qufu holds the main temple, mansion and cemetery. This is the southern branch's family temple, smaller and far less busy.

How long should I allow?

About two hours, or a little more if you add the nearby museums.

Is there anything to see on Confucius's birthday?

The ceremony is held then, and the temple has closed to ordinary visitors for it, so plan around it.

Sources

Facts in this article were checked against the following sources, retrieved 23 October 2026.

Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under the licences shown in each caption.