The Taichung Confucius Temple

Although the weather today was a little cloudy, I still continued my cultural journey in Taichung City. The place I planned to visit was "The Taichung Confucius Temple." Go along the "Jhong-gang Rd." to the crossroads and enter in the Sanmingshi Rd..After getting into the Yucai St. in front the Taichung First Senior High School. Turn left and get into Shung-shin Rd. and you could see the Taichung Confucius Temple.

There hadn't been Confucius Temple in Taichung in the early period. In 1970s the local authority started the plan to build the Confusius Temple. The period of construction was two years. The temple was build employing the temple-style architecture of the Song Dynesty, which was featured by simplicity and harmony.

The temple's layout follows the arrangement of the Confucius Temple of Chufu, Shan-tung Provience in China, where is the hometown of Confucius.

It boasts great structual complexity and a wealth of exquisite decoration. Each hall of the temple features color painting in the Song style, and the predominant decoratine motif consist of curling grass and flowers. The temple is one of the few outstanding models in Taiwan, and as such is worthy of studying and appreciation.
On the Li-hsing Rd., there are two tables inscribed with the words "The Unchanging way of Antiquity" and "Virtue Rivaling Heaven and Earth." These inscriptions honor Confucius' profound virtue and contribution to our Chinese culture. It is the sole Confucius Temple in Taiwan with such tables, and is an emblem of the cultural heritage of Taichung City.

Lingxing Gate is the first getway when getting into the Confucius Temple, and it adds innovate touches to the Chufu style. It's only opened for the Shidian(釋奠) sacrifices, and is closed again after the sacrifices have been completed, Nowadays, the Lingxing Gate is only opened when the nation's head of the nation arrives to take part in the sacrifices. To show the highest reverence for the Confucius' ideas. The opening of the Lingxing Gate comforms to time-honored ceremonial details.

The screen wall at the Taichung Confucius Temple faces the Lingxing Gate. All four sides are adorned with many carvingd depicting episodes in Confucius' life as a wandering teacher.

The pool behind the Lingxing Gate is semicircular in shape, which is commonly known as a "half- moon pool" and it's full of carp. In ancient times, topranking participants in the imperial examination would walk by this type of pool on their way to honor Confucius at the temple. It was customary for the test-takers to pull up some plants and put them on the hats in a ritual called "strolling by the pond"(遊泮)

The walkway(甬道) leads straight from the pool to the courtyard in front of the Great Perfection
Gate(大成門). The walkway is ilned with stone laterns and shaded by old trees growing in the yard on their sides.

The fire pavilion() and sacrificial basin() are representing located on the eastern and western sides of the walkway. These vessels are used for the ceremonial burning of silk and burying of hair and blood when Shidian ritual is held on Confucius' birthday.

The Great Perfection Gate is the main entrance to the main temple.

The Jin dram(晉鼓) and the large bell(鏞鐘) in Great Perfection Gate are used in the Shidian ritual.

The most important temple is the "Great Perfection Hall."

There is a tablet honoring the "greatly perfected sagely teacher Confucius." There is no image of Confucius and no couplets in the Confucius Temple.

The Sage's Shrine(崇聖祠) is located directly behind the Great Perfection Hall. The Sage's Shrine contains the ancestral tablets of former sages, worthies, and scholars and draws attention to the system of reverence for ancestors upheld in China for several thousands years. The Shine's layout is similiar in many respects to that of a family temple or ancestral shine.

There's a school on the right hand side of the Eastern Gallery and a classroom in the right part of the Sage's Shrine. Arts and skills are taught in these areas. They contains books, newspapers, and magazines, and there are old-style tables and chairs. It's open free of charge to the public for reading and study.

Two years ago, when I was in the third year of the senior high school. My school,Taichung First Senior High School, held a ceremony for being adult for all of us. It also prayed that we can get good grades in the Joint College Entrance Examination.

For thousands of years, millions of students went to Confucius temple through all the China to pray for their good grades in examinations, but how many of them could achieve their ideal goals? Two years ago, we determined to get good grades in this temple, but we left here very soon. Now I stood here alone, with some meloncholy instead of pleasure. For these years, I got a lot but also lost a lot.