13. Memorial Archway

Memorial archway derives from the Ling star Gate. The first emperor of the Han Dynasty stipulated that the Ling stare should be honored first when worshiping the heaven. Ling Star Gate, first built in 1028, was rebuilt in the Confucian temple later in honor of Confucius. It is considered that people offered sacrifice to the Ling Star in the Han Dynasty in order to pray for a fruitful year which has nothing to do with Confucius and then the Chinese character "灵" was turned into "棂" again. From the South Song Dynasty on, especially in Ming and Qing dynasties, the Ling Star Gate was not only built near the suburb altar and the Confucian temple, but also near ordinary temples, tombs, ancestral shrines, office buildings, gardens or beside the streets and cross. It is not only used to worship heaven and Confucius, but also in praise of noble acts and chastity. The purpose of the construction of the memorial archway con be classified into three types: symbolic archway, archway of credit and morality,and archway of achievement.