The Taiwan Confucian Temple

The Taiwan Confucian Temple (台灣孔廟; also called Tainan Confucian Temple, 台南孔廟 or 台南孔子廟)

 

I've been to Tainan a few times and every time I go there I visit the Taiwan Confucian Temple. The temple is not highly decorated temple like the more ornate temples I have seen around Taiwan, but it has a wonderful calming atmosphere which exudes the grace of traditional Chinese culture.

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I was in Tainan again a few weeks ago while working with a film crew on a short film. I didn't think there would be time to go sightseeing due to the deadlines we had. But we had an unforeseen break in the shooting schedule right in the middle of the afternoon and it turned out the shoot location was two blocks away from the temple.


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The Tainan Confucius Temple was built in 1665 by Zheng Chenggong as a school for teachers to offer lecture and cultivate intellectuals. It is one of the most historically important buildings in Taiwan, as it is one of the oldest buildings and Taiwan's first official school. These days, the temple preserves ancient Confucian ceremonies and is a popular as a tourist attraction and a park where the locals like to relax.


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In the middle is the Dacheng Hall with a double-eave round hip roof. It is surrounded by an enclosure of halls. In front there is the Dacheng Gate and the main courtyard. There are also two ceremonial gates—the Li Gate and the Yi Path—which symbolize the main disciplines of Confucianism.  Next to Dacheng Hall is the Hall of Edification, where you can see beautiful calligraphy. In the corner behind the Minglun Hall is the Wen Chang Pavilion, a three story pavilion dedicated to the literature deity, Wen Chang. The area is surrounded by big red walls with two gates allowing access—the East Dacheng Gate on Nanmen Road and West Dacheng Gate.


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Across Nanmen Road is the Pan Gao Stone Arch, which leads into a pedestrian street with lots of vendors and small restaurants. This is defiantly the place to go for lunch if you take a trip to the temple. There are also many other sites within walking distance.

 

The official website for the temple is http://confucius.culture.tw/

To learn more about interesting places and sights to visit in Taiwan, check out my list of Places to see in Taiwan