Confucius Temple, Shandong, China

5JeffCypress 5:00 PM Jul 26, 2016

Incredible temple complex
This is a huge temple complex with many interesting aspects. It is really worth getting a local guide (c. RMB250) to understand the place, the history of Confucius and how he fits in to the story of China. It is also worth seeing the Confucius Mansion (next door) and the cemetery which is five minutes away by taxi. The scale of the temple is awe inspiring as is the craftsmanship and beauty of the setting.

4VenxB 5:00 PM Aug 20, 2014

Unique, Fascinating Peek into China.
Confucius is the anglicized name of KongFuzi. Visiting the San Kong (three Kong meaning The Confucius temple, Kong Family mansion and the Kong forest) was a very interesting experience. The main area of Confucius temple is itself an interesting experience. The large grounds with various mansions is in itself quite par for the course ancient China (pardon, i have been living here for 5 + years). Overall in it's grandeur it is quite comparable to the Forbidden city in Beijing and that is saying something. What was truly fascinating for me was the fact that this was a place of continuous 'worship' for over 2300 years (By contrast Forbidden city is a mere 600 years old :)). The original site where Confucius taught is a small pavilion (XingTan Pavilion). Additional grounds, various pavilions, Steles and structures were added by successive emperors from all the main dynasties Han, Tang, Song, Ming and Qing. [Of course the Qin emperor had no love lost for Confucius and hence had no contributions to the site !]. One hears a lot about the contiguity of Chinese history, a way a visit to the Confucius temple and surroundings is a live example of that. The way the temple has thrived over centuries, tells us something about the central role that Confucian thought has had over China. Before one gets to the main structure (Dacheng Hall) one passes through an area full of Steles written over centuries by different kings and emperors. Here we also see some of the structures that have been broken during the cultural revolution and since rejoined and kept for display. The town itself has a large no. of Kong family descendants. The main descendants of the family left China for Taiwan and to this day live in Taiwan. For anyone interested in fascinated by history and culture this is a must see site.