Mount Ni

Mount Ni
Mount Ni
Chinese: 尼山; pinyin: Ní Shān
	Confucius cave on Mount Ni.
Highest point
Elevation	340 m (1,120 ft)
Coordinates	35°30′10.89″N 117°13′2.50″E / 35.5030250°N 117.2173611°E
Geography
	Mount Ni Shandong, China

Mount Ni (

Province, China. The hill is culturally significant because it is traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Confucius. It is also the site of a historical temple dedicated to Shuliang He, the father of Confucius, a Confucian academy (Chinese: 尼山書院; pinyin: Níshān Shūyuàn), and the Yusheng Memorial Temple (Chinese: 毓聖侯祠; pinyin: Yùshèng Hóucí).^[1] In 2016, a statue of Confucius was completed on the Mount. Standing at 72 meters, it is the tallest statue of Confucius in the world.^[2]

Background

According to the Han dynasty historian Sima Qian, Confucius's parents-to-be, Shuliang He and Yan Zhengzai, went to pray at Mount Ni and Yan Zhengzai gave birth to Confucius afterwards.^[3]

The existence of the Temple of Kong He can be traced back to the times of the

Later Zhou, Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties.^[1] A major reconstruction was undertaken during the Ming dynasty (in 1417 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor).^[1] Further expansion of the temple followed during the Qing dynasty.^[1] As a result, most of the extant structures of the temple date from either the Ming or the Qing era.^[1] The current architectural complex contains three sets of buildings, the Kong He Temple, the Confucian Academy, and the Yusheng Memorial Temple.^[1]

The Kong He Temple consists of the following halls: the Dacheng Hall (literally "Hall of Great Achievement") dedicated to Confucius, a "Sleeping Palace" dedicated to his wife Qiguan, the Hall of Qi Shengwang and the Sleeping Palace of Qi Shengwang.

Earth Deity), and the Guan Chuan Pavilion.^[1] The entire complex on Mount Ni is walled in.^[1]

Outside the eastern enclosure wall lies the Confucius Cave (Chinese: 夫子洞; pinyin: Fūzǐ Dòng). According to the legend, Confucius was abandoned by his mother in this cave after his birth because of his ugliness. The baby was then taken care of by a tiger and an eagle, which convinced his mother to take him back.^[4]

References

[unesco-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Extension Project of Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu: Temple of Confucius at Nishan Mountain, Temple and Cemetery of Mencius and the Meng Family Mansion, Temple of Yanhui and Temple of Zeng Zi, Unesco World Heritage Tentative List

[2] "Confucius of Mount Ni," Megaconstructions.net, September 4, 2016, https://megaconstrucciones.net/en/confucius-mount-ni/

[Chin-3] Ann-ping Chin: "The Authentic Confucius: A Life of Thought and Politics", Simon and Schuster, 2007, pg. 25

[Jing-4] Jun Jing: "The Temple of Memories: History, Power, and Morality in a Chinese Village", Stanford University Press, 1998

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