The information about statues of Confucius made before the Han dynasty have been missing from historical records. The southern clan of Confucius kept the wooden statues of Confucius and his wife. The statues were said to be carved by a student of Confucius, Zi Gong, to mourn for Confucius when Zi was watching over Confucius’ tomb after he passed away.

From the Song dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties, some Confucian temples around China preserved statues of Confucius. Today, the statues are erected in schools and squares in memory of Confucius across China and in other countries, not only to promote Confucianism, but also to inspire students to study hard.