Beijing - Temple of Confucius
Confucius statue at the Imperial Academy - Beijing
Temple of Confucius (Beijing) Slideshow
Temple of Confucius (Beijing) Photo Gallery (Downloadable Pictures)
The Temple of Confucius was initially built in 1302 and
additions were made during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It
has a total area of 22,000 square meters (5.4 acres). It is
the second largest temple constructed for Confucius, the
greatest thinker and educationalist in ancient China,
ranking only behind the Temple of Confucius in Qufu,
Shandong Province.
This temple consists of four courtyards. The main structures
include Xianshi Gate (Gate of the First Teacher), Dacheng
Gate (Gate of Great Accomplishment), Dacheng Hall (Hall of
Great Accomplishment) and Chongshengci (Worship Hall).
Dacheng Hall is the main building in the temple, where the
memorial ceremony for Confucius was often held. Inside the
temple one can see that 198 stone tablets are positioned on
either side of the front courtyard, containing 51,624 names
of Jinshi (the advanced scholars) of the Yuan, Ming and Qing
dynasties. Also 14 stone stele pavilions of the Ming and
Qing dynasties hold the precious historical information of
ancient China.
One item of note is the 700-year-old Chujian Bai (Touch Evil
Cypress) in the temple. Its name is associated with an
ancient legend. During the Ming Dynasty, one day the
superior official-Yan Song came to worship Confucius on
behalf of the emperor. When he was passing by the cypress,
one of the branches of the tree took his hat off. Since Yan
Song was a treacherous official, people have thought the old
tree could distinguish between good and evil people. Hence
its name.
(TravelChinaGuide.com)
