Confucius’s Great-Great-Great (x79) Grandson Is Alive Today!
Guess What? You Can Meet Him in Taiwan!
Good ol’ Confucius — by far the most renowned Chinese figure out there! But do you know what's even more incredible? His direct descendants are still alive today and still hold an honorary title passed down within the House of Confucius.
After the Chinese Civil War, many scholars, religious leaders, and other educated elites fled to Taiwan along with the Republic of China government — and the Confucius family was among them.
Today, Confucius's descendants still live in Taiwan. Although they no longer hold a seat in the Taiwanese government, as the state has secularized over the past decades, they continue to lead Confucian institutions and rituals across the country.
Curious to know more? Let’s take a look at the world’s longest unbroken male lineage on record!
有上过公民课的读者，应该都听过：中华民国是立基于三民主义、五权宪法的民主共和国，而且宪法明文规定：「中华民国人民，无分男女、宗教、种族、阶级、党派，在法律上一律平等。」
三民主义 (Sān Mín Zhǔyì): Three Principles of the People. A political philosophy developed by Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China.
五权宪法 (Wǔ Quán Xiànfǎ): Five-Power Constitution. A constitutional framework proposed by Sun Yat-sen, inspired by the separation of powers but with five branches.
If you’ve taken a civics class, you’ve likely heard that the Republic of China (ROC) is a democratic republic founded on the Three Principles of the People and the Five-Power Constitution. Its constitution clearly states: “All citizens of the Republic of China, regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, class, or political affiliation, are equal before the law.”
但你知道吗？中华民国不但曾有「大总统下令任命公爵」的事件，甚至今天都还有个世袭官职：「大成至圣先师奉祀官」。
公爵 (Gōngjué): Duke
世袭 (Shìxí): Hereditary / Inherited
大成至圣先师奉祀官 (Dàchéng Zhìshèng Xiānshī Fèngsì Guān): Sacrificial Official to Confucius the Great Accomplished and Most Sage Former Teacher
But did you know? Not only did the ROC once have a president-issued appointment of a duke, it still has a hereditary official position today: The Ceremonial Official to the Most Sacred and Exalted First Teacher.
1912年中华民国建立，次年首位正式大总统袁世凯在《崇圣典例》中保留了“衍圣公”的爵位，颇有继承历朝正统的意味。1919年（民国八年），第三十一代衍圣公孔令贻无子而逝；为了维持圣人血脉，其遗腹子孔德成即将出生之际，北洋政府出动军队护卫孔府。当孔德成出生时，政府甚至鸣炮十三响庆祝“圣裔不辍”，并在他满百日时，由大总统徐世昌以大总统令任命为第三十二代衍圣公，然而这也是中国最后一任的衍圣公。
颇有 (Pō yǒu): Quite a bit of / Rather has
继承 (Jìchéng): To inherit / To carry on
圣裔不辍 (Shèng yì bù chuò): The sage’s descendants have not ceased (i.e., the noble lineage continues unbroken)
The Republic of China was founded in 1912. The following year, the first formal president, Yuan Shikai, preserved the title “Duke Yansheng” in the Rituals for Honoring the Sage, symbolizing continuity with dynastic tradition. In 1919 (Year 8 of the Republic), the 31st Duke Yansheng, Kong Lingyi, died without an heir. As his posthumous son, Kung Te-cheng, was about to be born, the Beiyang government sent troops to guard the Confucius Mansion. Upon his birth, the government fired thirteen ceremonial cannon blasts to celebrate the unbroken lineage of the Sage. When he reached 100 days old, President Xu Shichang issued an executive order officially appointing him as the 32nd Duke Yansheng—the last ever in Chinese history.
1928年（民国17年，孔德成八岁），孔府以孔德成的名义请求政府取消“衍圣公”的爵位。1935年（民国24年），国民政府下令将“衍圣公”改为“大成至圣先师奉祀官”（位阶极高，相当于部长等级，口语上常简称为孔子奉祀官）。
In 1928 (Year 17 of the Republic), when Kung Te-cheng was eight years old, the Confucius Mansion, in his name, requested the government to abolish the title of Duke Yansheng. In 1935 (Year 24), the Nationalist government issued a decree transforming the title into Ceremonial Official to the Most Sacred First Teacher—a position with ministerial-level rank, colloquially known as the Confucius Ceremonial Official.
当时15岁的孔德成在南京继任为第一位“大成至圣先师奉祀官”；在中日战争和国共内战中，孔德成两度离开山东曲阜，随着中华民国政府来到台湾之后，这位孔子奉祀官再也没能回到山东孔府。
At age 15, Kung Te-cheng officially became the first Ceremonial Official to the Most Sacred First Teacher in Nanjing. During the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War, he left Qufu, Shandong twice. After relocating with the ROC government to Taiwan, he never returned to the Confucius Mansion in Shandong.
来到台湾的孔德成与道教的张天师、佛教的章嘉活佛等，被中华民国政府视为其中华道统所在（刚好凑成儒、道、释三教传人），因此在艰困的时局中仍备受蒋介石总统礼遇。
凑成 (Còuchéng): To put together / To piece together
艰困 (Jiānkùn): Difficult and harsh / Arduous
备受 (Bèishòu): To fully receive (often used with emotions like respect, hardship, etc.)
礼遇 (Lǐyù): Courteous treatment / Honorary reception
In Taiwan, Kung Te-cheng, along with Taoist leader Zhang Tianshi and Buddhist lama Zhangjia, was regarded by the ROC government as a representative of Chinese orthodoxy—Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism respectively—earning him considerable respect from President Chiang Kai-shek even during times of great difficulty.
随着时代变迁，在民间抨击（如李敖、柏杨）和政界异议（如尤清、朱高正）下，政府也逐渐缩减孔子奉祀官的相关预算，例如1998年裁撤台中的“大成至圣先师奉祀官府”、2008年将孔子奉祀官改为无给职。
抨击 (Pēngjī): To criticize / To attack (verbally)
政界异议 (Zhèngjiè yìyì): Political dissent / Opposition within political circles
无给职 (Wú jǐ zhí): Unpaid position / Honorary post (lit. "no-salary position")
With changing times and growing criticism from public intellectuals (like Li Ao and Bo Yang) and politicians (such as You Ching and Chu Kao-cheng), the government gradually reduced the ceremonial budget. In 1998, it dissolved the Office of the Ceremonial Official in Taichung (yes, Taiwan still had such an “official office” in the late 20th century!). In 2008, the position was changed to an unpaid role.
同时政府也顺应时势修改相关规定，孔子奉祀官不再限定由男性担任，现行规定为：「大成至圣先师奉祀官由孔子后裔承袭。」（《大成至圣先师孔子奉祀及纪念要点》第二条），释出了由女性担任奉祀官的可能性。
顺应时势修改 (Shùnyìng shíshì xiūgǎi): To revise in accordance with the current situation / To modernize
The government also modernized the rules, no longer requiring the position to be held by a male. The current regulation states, “The Ceremonial Official to the Most Sacred First Teacher shall be a descendant of Confucius.” (Key Points for the Worship and Commemoration of Confucius, Article 2), allowing the possibility for female descendants to serve.
到了今天，孔子奉祀官虽然不若以往地位尊荣、待遇优渥，但每年教师节在台北市孔庙举行的释奠典礼，仍然可以看到现任的奉祀官孔垂长与其他圣人后裔（如孟子、曾子的后代）在典礼中担任要角。
尊荣 (Zūnróng): Honor and dignity / Prestige
待遇优渥 (Dàiyù yōuwò): Generous treatment / Favorable and well-paid conditions
Today, although the position no longer holds its former prestige or generous benefits, during the annual Confucius Memorial Ceremony on Teachers’ Day at the Taipei Confucius Temple, you can still see the current official, Kung Tsui-chang, along with descendants of other sages like Mencius and Zengzi, playing key ceremonial roles.
Isn’t it crazy that Confucius’s descendants are still alive today? What would you say if you met Kung Tsui-chang — or even his son, Kong Yu-jen?
Antoine & Dorota