Confucius Temple and Qinhuai River (Fuzimiao)

The Confucius Temple area, known as Fuzimiao, sits on the Qinhuai River in Qinhuai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, and is the city's best-known evening destination. The original temple dates to the Song dynasty, but the current buildings are largely reconstructions after damage in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The complex includes the Dacheng Hall, a Confucian temple hall with ceremonial displays, and the nearby Jiangnan Examination Hall, which recalls the imperial exam system that once filled the district with scholars. Around the temple, a network of lantern-hung lanes, old-style shopfronts and food streets grew into a tourist quarter. Visitors can sample Nanjing snacks such as duck blood soup, salted duck, tang bao dumplings, and sweet rice cakes, and buy souvenirs from small shops. The Qinhuai River, once the centre of the city's pleasure quarter, is lined with willow trees and stone bridges, and evening boat rides on decorated canal boats are the main attraction. The Wuyi Lane and Zhanyuan Garden areas nearby add historic residences and quieter courtyards. A relaxed visit takes two to three hours, and the temple hall closes earlier than the streets, so day and night offer different experiences. Late afternoon into evening is the best time, when the lanterns are lit and the reflections in the river are at their best. The area is busiest on evenings, weekends and during the Spring Festival lantern fair, when crowds can be dense. Some food stalls are tourist-priced, so visitors often eat in nearby side streets for lower prices. Metro Line 3 stops at Fuzimiao Station, close to the main entrance, and the streets are free to enter around the clock, with separate charges for the temple hall and boat rides.