The Confucian Temple is built to commemorate Confucius. In order to revive the Confucian Temple in Xiangtan, the Confucian Temple Cultural Research Center and its Management and Service Office were established by HNUST so as to carry forward traditional Chinese culture and spread the teaching of sages.
On the afternoon of December 13rd, the opening ceremony was held in HNUST’s Yuhu Campus. Chen Yuanping, Vice Director of Hunan Culture and Tourism Department and Director of Hunan Cultural Relics Bureau together with Tang Yayang, Secretary of the Party Committee of HNUST presided over the opening ceremony. The heads of both provincial and municipal units, peer universities and colleges and representatives of HNUST’s teachers and students witnessed the event.
Originally founded in the early Shaoxing Period of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Confucian Temple in Xiangtan was expanded as Zhaotan Academy during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. In the long course of history, it witnessed the development of HNUST from Xiangbei Institute of Construction, Xiangtan Normal College to Xiangtan Normal University, which gave it great significance and values in various aspects including politics, culture, education and spirit.
“The Confucian Temple in Xiangtan not only represents the cultural accumulation of the city but is also the root and soul of HNUST. The ceremony aimed to reveal the connotation and splendidness of the “root” and “soul” through protection, exploitation and research and to make efforts of HNUST to help traditional culture realize creative transformation and innovative development,” said Secretary Tang.
“The Confucian Temple in Xiangtan is not only the exclusive treasure of HNUST, but also the treasure of Xiangtan, Hunan Province and even the country. We hope that HNUST will further strengthen the protection and utilization of its cultural relics as well as its historical research and inheritance. Finally, the history and culture of cultural relics can revive” Director Chen sent his congratulations and wishes to the opening ceremony.
"Xiangtan represents the revolutionary culture and is regarded as the source of Hunanese culture. In that case, HNUST has put efforts in running Confucian Temple in Xiangtan and making cultural relics and heritage truly ‘lively’ and ‘revolutionary’, which are of great and far-reaching significance to give play to the urban cultural advantages and promote people's sense of contentment, honor and belonging. " Ding Cheng, on behalf of Xiangtan Municipal People's Government, expressed warm congratulations on the opening ceremony.
"Culture is a nation’s soul and cultural confidence represents a fundamental and profound force that sustains the development of a nation. I hope that HNUST would lay a solid foundation for integrating the profound historical and cultural deposits of Confucian Temple into talents cultivation, scientific research and social services of HNUST and then enlighten their minds," said Prof. Chen Gujia.
In order to protect, manage and utilize the Confucian Temple in a better way, HNUST specially hired scholars as experts of the Confucian Temple Cultural Research Center. Zhu Chuanqu, President of HNUST, issued the certificates to them. At the scene, Zhou Hongyu, member of the NPC Standing Committee and many other professors sent congratulatory messages for the opening ceremony.
In the ceremony, a group of students from the School of Humanities gave a solemn recitation performance in honor of the ancient teachers, expressing solid determination in modelling themselves on Confucius.
As the carrier of blending university culture and Confucian culture, HNUST will continue to shoulder the mission bravely and forge ahead!
(Translated by Li Nan, Shu Ting)