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Primary sourcePhotograph1871

Temple of Confucius, Peking (Exterior)

John Thomson · 1871

An 1871 exterior photograph by John Thomson of the Hall of Great Accomplishment in the Temple of Confucius, Peking.

Shows the temple hall built to honour Confucius, evidence of his enduring status in Chinese tradition.

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Sepia-toned glass-plate photograph of a multi-roofed temple hall with curved eaves, seen from outside, with large trees on the left and a stone railing in the foreground. A handwritten paper label is at the bottom edge, upside down.
John Thomson, Temple of Confucius, Peking (exterior), 1871. Wellcome Collection, London.

About this source

What it is

Photographed in 1871 by John Thomson, this image shows the exterior of the Hall of Great Accomplishment, part of the Temple of Confucius in Peking. The multi-roofed hall is seen from outside, surrounded by trees and a stone railing.

Why it matters

This temple was one of the main sites where Confucius was formally honoured in imperial China. The photograph, taken by a Western traveller in the 19th century, is a record of how the memory of Confucius was built into the architecture and ceremony of the state, long after his own lifetime.

Look closer

  • What does the scale and style of the building suggest about the importance given to Confucius?
  • Why might this particular hall have been singled out for formal worship?
  • What questions does a photograph like this leave unanswered about Confucius's own life and ideas?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Confucius on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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