Another main Confucius Temple was built in Quzhou by the southern branch of the Confucius family. Description The temple complex is among the largest in China, it covers an area of 16,000 square metres and has a total of 460 rooms. Because the last major redesign following the fire in 1499 took place shortly after the building of the Forbidden City in the Ming dynasty, the architecture of the Temple of Confucius resembles that of the Forbidden City in many ways. The main part of the temple consists of nine courtyards arranged on a central axis, which is oriented in the north–south direction and is 1.3 km in length. The first three courtyards have small gates and are planted with tall pine trees, they serve an introductory function. The first (southernmost) gate is named "Lingxing Gate" () after a star in the Great Bear constellation, the name suggests that Confucius is a star from heaven. The buildings in the remaining courtyards form the heart of the complex. They are impressive structures with yellow roof-tiles (otherwise reserved for the emperor) and red-painted walls, they are surrounded by dark-green pine trees to create a color contrast with complementary colors. The main structures of the temple are: Lingxing Gate () Shengshi Gate () Hongdao Gate () Dazhong Gate () Thirteen Stele Pavilions () Dacheng Gate () Kuiwen Hall (奎文閣, built in 1018, restored in 1504 during the Ming dynasty and in 1985) Xing Tan Pavilion (杏壇, Apricot Platform) De Mu Tian Di Arch Liangwu () Dacheng Hall (大成殿, built in the Qing dynasty) Resting Hall (寢殿, dedicated to Confucius' Wife) Dacheng Hall The Dacheng Hall (), whose name is usually translated as the Hall of Great Perfection or the Hall of Great Achievement, is the architectural center of the present-day complex. The hall covers an area of 54 by 34 m and stands slightly less than 32 m tall. It is supported by 28 richly decorated pillars, each 6 m high and 0.8 m in diameter and carved in one piece out of local rock. The 10 columns on the front side of the hall are decorated with coiled dragons. It is said that these columns were covered during visits by the emperor in order not to arouse his envy. Dacheng Hall served as the principal place for offering sacrifices to the memory of Confucius. It is also said to be one of