Confucius Temple

If Sun Yat-Sen was important in the founding of modern China, Confucius (Kong Fuzi) who taught philosophy in China 2,500 years ago is considered the most important figure in the shaping of ancient Chinese civilization as well as the cultures of the countries of Japan, Vietnam, and Korea. He was born in 551 BC in the Lu Kingdom south of modern Shandong Province.

Knowledge of the Confucian texts that were written after he died and of Chinese characters became the key for success in imperial examinations in China for a thousand year period before the modern era. To pass the test, people had to memorize entire texts.

The Confucius Temple is south of the city’s central district. There was a temple that was built in the year 1034 during the Song Dynasty period on the banks of the Qinhuai River. During the past millennium, it was renovated, reconstructed, and enlarged so that it became a large complex. It was used by Confucian scholars. Next to it was the Jiangnan Gongyuan that was the largest examination area for people taking the imperial examinations and the Xue Gong that was the Qing Imperial Academy for training mandarins to govern the vast empire. The Japanese destroyed the whole complex in 1937.

But in 1984, the government built new buildings in the Ming and Qing styles. Around it, tourist shops, snack bars, restaurants and hotels were built, and in the complex are shopping boutiques that feature local craft objects like wood carvings and Yuhua Pebbles, commodities such an salted duck and tea, and manufactured souvenirs like folding fans and silk fabrics. Inside the building is a large statue of Confucius and panels with jade, gold and silver that illustrate the life of Confucius.

How to Get to there?