TAIWAN CULTURE: Confucius Temple

In the 19th year of Yongli in the Ming Dynasty (1665), Chief Military Aide CHEN Yonghwa suggested to ZHENG Jing, son of ZHENG Chengong, that he build a Confucian temple in Tainan. The Confucius Temple, now more than 300 years old, was the first and highest educational institution in Taiwan, and to this day is a famous tourist destination.

Stone Arch of Higher Learning is the first thing we see. This was the school for feudal princes. As the Confucius Temple was part of the school, the Stone Arch was the entrance to the school.

The street leads us to the East Ta Cheng Arch, which is the entrance to the Tainan Confucius Temple.

Ta Cheng Palace is in the center of the Confucius Temple, the main building at the site. In front of it is a platform used for the Yi dance in ceremonial rituals. Decorated with hornless dragons. it is also known as the Royal Way. The 4 hornless dragonheads on the corners of the platform are for drainage.

Ta Cheng Palace was built in honor of Confucius, who was referred as the Supreme Sage and Teacher during the early years of Jiajing's reign in the Ming Dynasty-a status that survives to this day. The figurine here is made of wood. The sanctuaries on both sides are for the 4 companion matches and 12 philosophers, and Confucius' outstanding disciples and heirs.

The rooms to either side of Ta Cheng Palace are known as the East and West Corridors. It is here that a large number of tablets were kept for well-known disciples and renowned intellectuals for their efforts in promoting Confucianism. The buildings to the north are repositories for ritual implements and musical instruments.

Hall of Edification, in the middle is a reproduction of the 205-character Way to Great Schooling by Zhao Mengfu, a renowned calligrapher of the Yuan Dynasty. On the walls, on both sides, is a reproduction of a manuscript by Zhuxi of the Song Dynasty.