What does apricot altar mean?

"Xingtan" is a place where Confucius gave lectures. Now it only refers to a place where there are many books and teaching.

Confucius, a teacher through the ages, taught in a Xinglin with his disciples when he was studying abroad. Because of the turbulent times in which Confucius lived, his thoughts were not recognized at that time. He devoted himself to preaching and teaching, telling his disciples the four meanings of "poetry, ceremony, righteousness and joy" in Xinglin, which laid a solid foundation for the spread of Confucian culture.

In order to commemorate Confucius, later generations planted a large number of apricot trees in the place where he gave lectures, and named them "Xingtan". Later, the word gradually evolved into a synonym for pursuing knowledge and ideals. Today, when we say Xingtan, we mean the place where orthodox students enter school.

Establishment of apricot altar

Before the early Song Dynasty, the apricot altar had only a name but no reality. Until the 9th year of Song Zhenzong Dazhong Xiangfu (10 16), Daofu Kong, the 45th generation of Confucius, then the official of Dali Temple, slaughtered Qufu and took charge of the main temple, saying that the Confucius Temple was humble and could not be called "the Duke of Feast". Please repair it.

The imperial court ordered Taoism to assist the overseers, ordered them to use official money to repair the traffic, and allowed them to use the surplus wood of Taishan Temple built at that time, belonging to oak, camphor and catalpa, to carry out a large-scale transformation of the Confucius Temple.