Tianjin Confucian Temple

The Tianjin Confucian Temple (天津文庙) was the place of the Ming and Qing official school and of sacrifices to Confucius, and it stands at Dongmennei Street in Nankai District. It is the largest and best preserved ancient architectural complex remaining in the Tianjin area, a municipal cultural relic protection unit and a special-grade historic-style building. It was begun in 1436, the first year of the Zhengtong era, when the Tianjin garrison commander Zhu Sheng donated his own residence to serve as the school, and the Dacheng Hall was completed in 1447. Tianjin became a prefecture in 1725 and a fu in 1731, and in 1734 a county school was added beside the prefectural school, creating the paired arrangement that survives.