Taipei Confucian Temple

Under an urban renewal plan by the Taipei City Government, the temple, Dalong Elementary School and Bao'an Temple form the Dalongdong cultural area of 'temple, school and palace'. The temple is a place of ceremony, a symbol of Confucian learning and a city-designated historic site. It follows the architectural form of the original Confucian temple in Qufu, and its beams, pillars, doors and windows carry no inscriptions, giving it a plain and solemn look. The layout runs, in order, through the Wanren Wall, the Pan Pool, Lingxing Gate, Yi Gate, Dacheng Hall and Chongsheng Shrine. Unlike those of other temples, none of the pillars, doors or windows bear couplets; it is said this is because no one dared to show off their writing at the door of Confucius. Because the temple was built by private citizens, it adds regional decoration to the standard form, namely the jiaozhi pottery and jiannian (cut porcelain) work typical of southern Fujian. Its jiaozhi pottery is an unusual example among Confucian temples in Taiwan. The main hall, Dacheng Hall, holds the spirit tablet of Confucius in the central shrine, beneath a black plaque with gold characters reading 'Education for all, without distinction'. Along the side walls are the tablets of the Four Correlates (Yanzi, Zengzi, Zisi and Mencius) and the Twelve Wise Ones. The many jiaozhi pottery friezes in Dacheng Hall are a feature unique among Confucian temples in Taiwan. The temple has few statues or altar objects, but it holds many ritual vessels and musical instruments made to ancient specifications. At the Shidian ceremony on 28 September each year, music and dance are performed and offerings of livestock and wine are presented in honour of Confucius. The temple has an artefacts exhibition room and a multimedia exhibition room explaining the temple and the ritual vessels and instruments of the ceremony, as well as a Bayi (eight-row dance) instrument display centre where pressing the illustrated panel plays the sound of each instrument, some deep and some clear and high. A guide system is available in Mandarin, English, Japanese and Korean. The temple also holds events combining traditional and modern arts, including the annual Dalongdong Cultural Festival, which introduces ritual culture and Confucian thought. Minglun Hall houses a 4D virtual reality theatre that presents the history of the temple and the life of Confucius with immersive special effects.

Translated and shortened by DealTaipei from Taiwan's national tourism database. Sources are on the terms page.