The Xishui Confucian Temple was first built in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was destroyed by war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and rebuilt on the original site in the seventh year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1374). It was subsequently repaired and expanded during the Xuande, Zhengtong, Hongzhi, Zhengde, Jiajing and Tianqi periods, becoming a complete architectural complex of the county seat at that time.
Destroyed by Zhang Xianzhong's peasant uprising during the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt in 1650 (the seventh year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty) and underwent more than ten repairs during the Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu reigns. The Lingxing Gate, Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Shrine, and Zunjing Pavilion are among the structures still preserved today.
The Dacheng Hall, originally named Xianshi Hall, is the main building of the Confucian Temple. It was renamed Dacheng Hall in 1530 (the ninth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty). The existing Dacheng Hall was rebuilt in 1869 (the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty). It has five bays in width and three bays in depth, covering an area of over 240 square meters. It features a double-eaved hip roof, a mortise-and-tenon frame, and a covered walkway in the central bay of the front eaves, with the roof covered in small blue tiles. The main ridge beam of the Dacheng Hall preserves a record of its reconstruction in the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign (1869), stating, "Reconstructed on an auspicious autumn day in the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign (1869) of the Great Qing Dynasty." On the front of the rear wall inside the hall, on the left is an imperial white marble stele inscribed with "Eulogy to the Supreme Sage and Teacher Confucius," and on the right are imperial white marble stele inscribed with "Eulogies to Yan Hui, Zengzi, Zisi, and Mencius."
The Chongsheng Shrine is located behind the Dacheng Hall, forming a courtyard with the hall and the surrounding walls. It has three bays in width and three bays in depth. It features a mortise-and-tenon frame, a front corridor, a gable roof, and a small blue-gray tile roof.
The Zunjing Pavilion is located to the left of the Chongsheng Shrine. It is a two-story wooden-framed building, one bay wide and one bay deep, with a wooden staircase. It has a raised-beam frame, a hip roof, and a small blue-gray tile roof. A record of its reconstruction in the thirteenth year of the Guangxu reign (1889) is preserved on the beams. It originally housed ancient Confucian classics.
The Lingxing Gate, located directly in front of the Dacheng Hall, was built during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty, according to the Qishui County Annals. The gate is shaped like the Chinese character "川" (river), and is entirely constructed of stone. Stone lions flanking the gate serve as pillars. The front of the gate features a relief of two dragons playing with a pearl, above which is an incised plaque reading "Lingxing Gate," topped with a relief of two phoenixes facing the sun. A stone archway is topped with a carved interlocking patterned weight, flanked by a pair of stone lions and adorned with flame-patterned stone carvings. A relief of flying deities is carved in front of the weight. The left gate's lintel features a relief of Confucian scholars, Buddhist monks, and immortals entering the temple, above which is a plaque with the double-line inscription "文经" (Wen Jing, meaning "Literary Classics"). The right gate's lintel features a relief of figures under a cassia tree, above which is a plaque with the double-line inscription "武纬" (Wu Wei, meaning "Martial Arts").
In 1992, it was designated a Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the Hubei Provincial People's Government. The Xishui Confucian Temple is the best-preserved Confucian temple in Hubei Province.
Destroyed by Zhang Xianzhong's peasant uprising during the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt in 1650 (the seventh year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty) and underwent more than ten repairs during the Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu reigns. The Lingxing Gate, Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Shrine, and Zunjing Pavilion are among the structures still preserved today.
The Dacheng Hall, originally named Xianshi Hall, is the main building of the Confucian Temple. It was renamed Dacheng Hall in 1530 (the ninth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty). The existing Dacheng Hall was rebuilt in 1869 (the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty). It has five bays in width and three bays in depth, covering an area of over 240 square meters. It features a double-eaved hip roof, a mortise-and-tenon frame, and a covered walkway in the central bay of the front eaves, with the roof covered in small blue tiles. The main ridge beam of the Dacheng Hall preserves a record of its reconstruction in the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign (1869), stating, "Reconstructed on an auspicious autumn day in the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign (1869) of the Great Qing Dynasty." On the front of the rear wall inside the hall, on the left is an imperial white marble stele inscribed with "Eulogy to the Supreme Sage and Teacher Confucius," and on the right are imperial white marble stele inscribed with "Eulogies to Yan Hui, Zengzi, Zisi, and Mencius."
The Chongsheng Shrine is located behind the Dacheng Hall, forming a courtyard with the hall and the surrounding walls. It has three bays in width and three bays in depth. It features a mortise-and-tenon frame, a front corridor, a gable roof, and a small blue-gray tile roof.
The Zunjing Pavilion is located to the left of the Chongsheng Shrine. It is a two-story wooden-framed building, one bay wide and one bay deep, with a wooden staircase. It has a raised-beam frame, a hip roof, and a small blue-gray tile roof. A record of its reconstruction in the thirteenth year of the Guangxu reign (1889) is preserved on the beams. It originally housed ancient Confucian classics.
The Lingxing Gate, located directly in front of the Dacheng Hall, was built during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty, according to the Qishui County Annals. The gate is shaped like the Chinese character "川" (river), and is entirely constructed of stone. Stone lions flanking the gate serve as pillars. The front of the gate features a relief of two dragons playing with a pearl, above which is an incised plaque reading "Lingxing Gate," topped with a relief of two phoenixes facing the sun. A stone archway is topped with a carved interlocking patterned weight, flanked by a pair of stone lions and adorned with flame-patterned stone carvings. A relief of flying deities is carved in front of the weight. The left gate's lintel features a relief of Confucian scholars, Buddhist monks, and immortals entering the temple, above which is a plaque with the double-line inscription "文经" (Wen Jing, meaning "Literary Classics"). The right gate's lintel features a relief of figures under a cassia tree, above which is a plaque with the double-line inscription "武纬" (Wu Wei, meaning "Martial Arts").
In 1992, it was designated a Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the Hubei Provincial People's Government. The Xishui Confucian Temple is the best-preserved Confucian temple in Hubei Province.