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Taipei Confucius Temple
Taipei, Taiwan
December 17, 2004 - 05:56 UTC (13:56 local time)
© 2004 Walker Young, All Rights Reserved.
The Confucian temple in Talungtung in Taipei was founded during the Ch'ing dynasty and renovated in 1927. Its main structures include the Ta Cheng Hall, Ten Thousand Fathom Wall, Pan Pond, Ling Hsing Gate, Gate of Rites, Sage Worship Altar, Ming Lun Hall, Chu Tze Alter, Kui Hsing Gate (after the God of Literature), and the Wu Sheng Shrine. Every year on Teachers' Day, a solemn ceremony is held according to ancient rites called the "Confucius Memorial Service," and is attended by Chinese and foreign visitors.
Ta Cheng Hall The Confucius Ancestral Tablet is placed in the main hall of the Confucius Temple. At the front of the hall is a projecting terrace called the "Moon Terrace" or "Tan Hsi." This is where the ceremonial instruments are installed and the Eight-row Dance is performed.
Gazing upwards at the rafters of the Ta Cheng Hall, one is captivated by the seven-tier pagoda, popularly believed to ward off evil, and the two bamboo "tung tien" tubes at each end are said to protect the classics.