the Great Hall of Hangzhou Prefecture Schcool(from Confucian Templesof the World, P88)

Mapof Hangzhou Prefecture Schoolin Qing Dynasty(from ConfuciansTemple of the World, P88)

The Confucian Temple of Hangzhou, also known as Hangzhou Prefecture School, has a history of more than 1300 years. In 1142, Hangzhou Prefecture School was temporarily renovated to become the highest school in the country, the Imperial Academy. In 1156, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty inscribed the portraitof Confucius and his seventy-two disciples painted by the great Northern Song artist Li Gonglin, ordered the work to be carved in stone, and bestowed the engraved copy to Hangzhou Prefecture School, which broughtit considerable fame and magnificent status.

In the Ming Dynasty, during the reign of Hongzhi, the scale of Hangzhou Prefecture School was basically decided. As the number of imperial giftsand compositions, tabletsand plaques, stone carvings and Buddha figures increased, Hangzhou Prefecture Schoolfeatured more prominently. In history, the last grand renovation on Hangzhou Confucius Temple took place in 1889, during which the needful restoration and expansionwas carried out, leaving a lofty temple of perfectstyle and structure, which won many compliments from visitors. In 1937, Hangzhou Prefecture School suffered a terrible disaster when Hangzhou was occupiedby the Japanese invaders after the July 7thIncident. For a better protection and promotion of the precious cultural heritage, the expansion project of Hangzhou Beilin(Confucius Temple )has been on the agenda of Hangzhou municipalgovernment since the end of 20thcentury. Based on the notionof inheritantingtraditions and showcasinglocal charcateristics, the projecthightlighs the protection and display of Confucian temple buildings and monumental relics.