Taipei Confucius Temple

The Taipei Confucius Temple is at No. 275, Dalong Street in Datong District, Taipei, Taiwan, in the Dalongdong area just beside Baoan Temple. An earlier Confucian temple was built in Taipei in the 1880s during the Qing period but was torn down under Japanese rule in 1907. The present temple was constructed from 1927 and completed in 1939, designed by the master craftsman Wang Yi-shun from Fujian, who followed the classical layout of temples in southern Fujian. It is a three-courtyard complex arranged on a north-south axis, with a Lingxing Gate, a Yi Gate, a main hall called Dacheng Hall, and side wings. Unlike most Taiwanese temples, it is decorated in a restrained, scholarly manner, with plain red walls, grey tiles, and little of the colourful sculpture seen at folk temples. Dacheng Hall holds a spirit tablet for Confucius rather than a statue, in keeping with Confucian tradition. A key feature is the annual ceremony held on 28 September, Confucius' birthday and Teachers' Day in Taiwan, when officials and students perform an ancient ritual with music and dancers in a formation of eight rows. The temple also has a hall of instruments and ritual objects used in the ceremony, and an exhibition room. Visitors can walk the courtyards in a quiet, uncrowded setting. The grounds are well maintained after periodic restoration. Entry is free. The temple is a short walk from Yuanshan or Quanzhou Street areas and pairs naturally with Baoan Temple and the Taipei Expo Park.