Research On Confucian Temple Service In Qing Dynasty

Confucian Temple,also known as Wen Temple,Fuzi Temple,Xuansheng Temple and so forth,is a temple building for worshipping Confucius.However,as a great master,Confucius is not the only one worshipped.Along with Confucius,more than one hundred Confucian scholars are also worshipped in the Confucian Temple.The worship system of Confucian Temple upholds the principle of "rewarding virtues and merits",aiming at commending the disciples of Confucius and the scholars who can carry on Confucianism.The promotion and dismissal of these people need official recognition and restraint.Therefore,the change of Confucian temple worship not only reflects the agitation of the academic trend within Confucianism,but also shows the struggle and fusion of political and cultural forces in traditional society.The Qing Dynasty is the peak period of the development of Confucian temple worship system,the added and resumed Confucian scholars account for more than half of the total.Inheriting the Ming Dynasty,the system in the early Qing Dynasty does not change much.In the mid-Qing Dynasty,the number has expanded greatly,which is praised as "The Ritual of the Flourishing Age".During the late Qing Dynasty,the current situation is chaotic and unstable.In order to encourage the people and consolidate the rule,the hierarchy of the Qing Dynasty regards Confucian temple worship system as a way to save the hard times.As a result,the number is overflowing.Nevertheless,its declining rule can not be restored.Before the Qing Dynasty,the worshipped Confucian scholars include not only the disciples of Confucius,but also scholars from Han,Tang,Song and Ming Dynasties.The latter make great contributions to the dissemination and interpretation of Confucianism.In the Qing Dynasty,two new categories emerge.Namely,Confucian practitioners represented by Fan Zhongyan and Confucian devotees represented by Liu Zongzhou and Huang Daozhou.The emergence of these new Confucian groups not only enriches the connotation of Confucian temple worship system,but also shows the fate that the system will ultimately decline from the prosperous.In brief,different dynasties have their own academic atmosphere and characteristics.Therefore,the candidates worshipped in Confucian temple often involve complex issues such as political situation,academic factions and so on.Throughout the Qing Dynasty,the Confucian temple worship system is closely connected with politics,academia,economy,society and other aspects.The change of its criteria and candidates is the result of "Historical resultant force".