Taipei Confucius Temple
Main Deities
About
In the main hall of Taipei Confucius Temple you will not find a single statue — this most important Confucian temple in northern Taiwan, in Taipei's Datong District, follows the ancient Confucian teaching against idol worship, honoring the Great Sage and First Teacher Confucius with spirit tablets alone. Modeled on the regulations of the original Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong, it is built in the Minnan style, every brick and column upright and solemn. What is most worth a special trip is the annual Confucius Ceremony (the Shidian rite) on Teacher's Day, September 28th — the city mayor serves as chief officiant, dancers perform the Eight-Row Dance (Bayi), and Confucius is honored with the most ancient of rites, Taiwan's most representative celebration of Confucian culture.
History
Taipei's earliest Confucius temple was built in 1879 during the Guangxu reign, but was demolished under Japanese rule. The temple we see today was rebuilt on the initiative of Taipei's gentry beginning in 1925 — they engaged Wang Yi-shun, the famed Quanzhou master who designed Longshan Temple, and the work was not completed until 1939. Also built in the Minnan style, it stands in graceful counterpoint to the Dalongdong Baoan Temple just across the wall — one Confucian, one Taoist — together forming the most complete surviving cluster of traditional architecture in Taipei.
Taipei Confucius Temple
Datong District, Taipei City
Visitor Info
Address
No. 275, Dalong St., Datong Dist., Taipei City
Region
Datong District, Taipei City