In 1935, when Kung was 15, the Nationalist government decided to abolish the noble title of Duke Yansheng granted to the eldest main-line descendant of Confucius since the Song Dynasty, changing it to "Sacrificial Official to Confucius," whose main duty remained to officiate over sacrifices to Confucius, with all the perquisites of a government minister.
民國 24 年、孔德成 15 歲時，國民政府決定廢除自宋朝以來對孔子嫡系後裔的「衍聖公」封爵名號，改為「至聖先師孔子奉祀官」，主要任務仍是祭祀孔子，待遇比照特任官。