The Temple of Confucius in Beijing is the place where people paid homage to Confucius during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Located on Guozijian Street inside Anding Gate, the temple now houses the Beijing Capital Museum. The Temple of Confucius was initially built in 1302. Later on, some additions were made in the temple during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The temple covers a total area of 5.4 acres and is the second largest temple constructed for Confucius. There are four courtyards in the temple, which include Xianshi Gate (Gate of the First Teacher), Dacheng Gate (Gate of Great Accomplishment), Dacheng Hall (Hall of Great Accomplishment) and Chongshengci (Worship Hall). The memorial ceremony for Confucius is generally held in the Dacheng Hall. There are 198 stone tablets inside the temple that are places on either side of the front courtyard. The temple also houses the 700 year old Chujian Bai or Touch Evil Cypress. The temple contains some of the remarkable pictures such as flying dragons among clouds, which are used only in the imperial palaces because dragon stands for emperor in ancient China.

Some of the important things that need to be remembered before visiting this temple include:

Admission Fee: 10 CNY Opening Hours: 08:30 am to 05:00 pm Time required for a Visit: One hour approximately

Source: asiarooms.com

Editor: Feng Hui