Xiāngchéng

Xiangcheng stands on the central Henan plain southwest of Xuzhou. Its Confucian temple joined the county school and a place of ritual in one complex, where officials and students honoured the sage. The main Dacheng Hall was rebuilt during the Zhengtong reign of the Ming on the foundations of an earlier Yuan building. In 1585 a decorated screen wall was added in front of the temple, its glazed surface and carved dragons giving the entrance a distinctive appearance.