Confucius Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
The Confucius Temple in Taipei on a bright, sunny day!
The Taipei Confucius Temple was built by the Qing Dynasty in 1879, to be a place of education and to teach the tenets of Confucianism.
If you get a chance to be in Taipei around fall, head to the temple on September 28, the traditional birthday of Confucius. Seeing a birthday celebrated in solemn dance for a man who passed away over two centuries ago is a pretty trippy experience.
A temple of Confucius can often serve quite different purposes than temples dedicated to other personages. Confucius was an educator and is more or less responsible for the bureaucratic structure that has organized Chinese society for the 2,500 years since his death.
A young Taiwanese woman plays a traditional Chinese musical instrument on the front courtyard of Taipei Confucius Temple.
The Taipei Confucius Temple also contains permanent exhibitions highlighting a Chinese culture that has more or less passed, with instruments and costumes, and old photos of the world's most famous Confucius Temple in Shandong, China.
Keep in mind that the Confucius Temple is right next to the Baoan Temple, so you could check them both out on the same trip.
Bottom line: Try to get there on the birthday of Confucius on September 28, see exhibitions on classical Qing and Chinese culture and get a sense of who Confucius was and what his influence is today.
Traditional Chinese ritual during the Confucius Birthday ceremony
Info about Taipei's Confucius Temple
Where is it?
Address: No.275, Dalong St., Datong District, Taipei City
MRT: Yuanshan Station
How to say it: tai bei shi kong miao
How much: Free
When to go: Tues-Sat 8: 30am-9:00pm, Sunday 8:30am-5:00pm, Monday closed
Two Taiwanese girls welcome visitors at the Confucius Temple.
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