Kong Lingli
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Kong Lingli, Male, Han, from Quzhou, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Confucius Memorial Ceremony (Ⅹ-35). The tradition is documented in Quzhou, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Confucius Memorial Ceremony in Quzhou, Zhejiang:
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Kong Lingli is anchored in the documented technical standards of Confucius Memorial Ceremony in Quzhou, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Confucius Memorial Ceremony in Quzhou, Zhejiang: The Southern Branch sacrifice to Confucius refers to the routine sacrificial rites held by members of the Kong clan living in the south at the Kong Southern Branch Family Temple in Quzhou. In the second year of Jianyan of the Southern Song (1128), Kong Duanyou, the forty-eighth-generation eldest grandson by the direct line of Confucius and Duke of Yansheng, accompanied the emperor in a suburban sacrifice at Yangzhou on the order of Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, and then followed the court south across the river; in the third year of Jianyan (1129) he arrived in Quzhou, Zhejiang, and was decreed to 'temporarily use the prefectural school as a temple' to sacrifice to Confucius. Thus began the activity unique to Quzhou of sacrificing to Confucius — the Southern Branch sacrifice to Confucius. The sacrificial activities include the four major sacrifices (the ding days of the middle months of the four seasons), the four zhong ding (ten days after each great sacrifice), eight minor sacrifices, solar-term sacrifices, the special sacrifices on the master's birthday and memorial day, and general worship on the first and fifteenth of each month; broadly speaking, they also include Confucius sacrifices at the academies under the jurisdiction of the Southern Branch, as well as the initiation ceremonies of Southern Branch private schools and scripture-reading classes. The Southern Branch sacrifice to Confucius has continued in Quzhou for more than eight hundred years; after liberation it was interrupted for a time. The sacrificial rites of the Southern Branch of the Kong family are a unique sacrifice-to-Confucius activity combining state sacrifice (official sacrifice), family sacrifice, and popular sacrifice. They are of great significance for inheriting the fine traditions of the Chinese nation and strengthening the cohesion of descendants of Yan and Huang at home and abroad. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Four great sacrifices and four lesser days": Great sacrifices on the upper ding days of each season, lesser rites ten days later, plus minor and solar-term sacrifices, divide the year into dozens of ritual nodes. "The upper ding day sacrifice": The great rite at the Southern Clan Temple distinguishes principal, accompanying and attending worshippers simply by where they stand. "The southward flight and the school turned shrine": In 1129 the heir was granted the right to use the prefectural school as a shrine, founding a cult that has run for more than eight centuries. "Academy rites and school openings": The rite extends to academies, private schools and scripture classes, placing Confucius from the temple down to the child's desk.
Four great sacrifices and four lesser days
Great sacrifices on the upper ding days of each season, lesser rites ten days later, plus minor and solar-term sacrifices, divide the year into dozens of ritual nodes.
The upper ding day sacrifice
The great rite at the Southern Clan Temple distinguishes principal, accompanying and attending worshippers simply by where they stand.
The southward flight and the school turned shrine
In 1129 the heir was granted the right to use the prefectural school as a shrine, founding a cult that has run for more than eight centuries.
Academy rites and school openings
The rite extends to academies, private schools and scripture classes, placing Confucius from the temple down to the child's desk.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Kong Lingli was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Confucius Memorial Ceremony, with Quzhou, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Confucius Memorial Ceremony in Quzhou, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Quzhou, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Quzhou Nan KongShengDi Culture Tourism Qu Management Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
It was restored in 2004 on the initiative of Mr. Kong Xiangkai, the eldest grandson by the direct line of the Southern Branch.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kong Xiangkai | Quzhou, Zhejiang | 05-2982 | Same declared area |
| Li Wenguang | Qufu, Shandong | — | Other regional school |
| Kong Lingli | Quzhou, Zhejiang | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。