Halberd Gate and Ancestral Hall of County Sagesand Famous Eunuchs (from Confucian Templesof the World, P98)

The construction of the ConfucianTemple in Ji County began in the Sui dynasty, and now it is a county-level cultural relic protection unit. Before the foundingof People’s Republic of China, a grand sacrificial ceremony for Confucius would be held at the ConfucianTemple in Ji County inspring and autumn of each year, which was meticulously recorded in the Ji State Annals during the reign of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty andin theperiod ofRepublicof China. Dacheng Hall, with a platform in front of it, is the main building of the ConfucianTemple in Ji County , and serves as the place where the sacrificial ceremony for Confucius is held. Dacheng Hall, the East and West Side Rooms and the Halberd Gatemake up the quadrangular courtyard, a traditional Chinese construction style. In front of the Halberd Gate, there is PanPool, with the Lingxing Gate standing in front of it.Ji County boasts splendid mountains and rivers, and is full of natural humanistic temperament. The imperial examination was in full flourish, producingmany generations of talented people. In history, the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) had visited here twice to search for the truth of governance. Kuaiche, the counselor of Hanxin who was the military general serving Liu Bang (Emperor Gaozu of Han) , and Tianchou, ahermit duringthe Three Kingdoms period, were celebritiesborn in Ji County. Since thesystem of enlistingtalents through civil service examinationwas initiated in the Sui and Tang dynasties, Ji County has become a gathering placeof culture and talents. Well-known talents include Dou Yanshan who was famous for successfully brining upfive accomplished sons, and Zhaopu, the prime minister of the Song Dynasty who was famous for saying that he could help the emperor govern the country with half of the Analects of Confucius. Recorded in the Ji County Anals of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the number of people listed in the directory of Jinshi, Juren, Gongsheng and Jiansheng amounted to 785. To this day, all the historical relics and architecture mirror the customs of reveringConfucianism prevailed in ancient Ji County.