Confucius (Chinese: 孔夫子; pinyin: Kǒngfūzǐ; Wade–Giles: K'ung Fu Tzu) was an early armed riverboat of the Qing dynasty, and one of the earliest modern vessels of China.

Confucius was purchased in July or August 1855, funded by shipping merchants in Shanghai as a response to an increase in piracy due to the Taiping Rebellion.

She was transferred to Shanghai's Pirate Suppression Bureau, where she was used as an armed patrol vessel.

[5] In 1862, she took part in recapturing Ningbo, where she was commanded by Albert Édouard Le Brethon de Caligny.

There, the ship was renamed Tien Ping (Chinese: 天平; pinyin: Tiānpíng), after the model of the steam engine on board.