At the western foothills of Eryuan County, the Eryuan Confucian Temple climbs the mountain slope along a west-to-east axis. Its story began in 1385 when Magistrate Jin Wenju built the first structure on the site of a former government office. In 1492, Assistant Commissioner Mao Ke moved the entire complex to this mountain slope, establishing the classic layout of a temple on the left and a school on the right.

Over the centuries, the temple expanded through human labor and local ambition. Magistrate Chen Cheng rebuilt the Chongsheng Ancestral Hall in 1580. In 1685, Magistrate Wu Wenlu added the Yunlu Archway, and Tongpan Huang Yuanzhi expanded the side wings in 1692. Later, Magistrate Han Teng built lodging facilities in 1780, and Magistrate Fan Zhaoxin repaired the structures after a destructive earthquake in 1838. The fires of the 1856 Du Wenxiu Rebellion leveled the grounds, leaving ashes where scholars once gathered. Magistrate Chen Wenjin rebuilt the halls in 1886.

Today, the double-eaved hip-roof of the Dacheng Hall stands as the sole surviving original timber structure, measuring nineteen meters wide and fifteen and a half meters deep. Centuries-old Chinese pistache trees frame the courtyard, their rough bark weathering the same mountain winds that once carried the voices of students. Visitors cross the stone Zhuangyuan arch bridge over the restored pond, passing through the Hongdao and Lingxing gates. Inside, the main hall houses statues of Confucius, the Four Correlates, and the Twelve Philosophers, while the side wings display line-engraved portraits of seventy-nine historical sages.