Temples of Confucius are not only places to worship the most famous teacher in Chinese history. In the past, they have served as schools for children and the place where the imperial examinations were held for intellectuals to secure official positions. The Confucius Temple in Tainan has a history of more than 350 years and was the first of its kind in Taiwan. Join me on this live-streamed Online Experience, and we will uncover its rich history and cultural significance together.
We will begin our tour from the streets of Tainan city and walk over to admire the facade of the Tainan Literature Museum. Next, we will walk towards the biggest roundabout in the city, and I will show the current fire department, which used to be a research building and the tallest tower in Tainan in the early 1900s. Finally, making our way to the Confucius Temple, we will look at the pagoda of the Taoist God.
At the main entrance, I will show you some impressive stone carvings and lion statues. We will see the draining hole dragon and traditional musical instruments on display and explore the school attached to the temple. After admiring the stone tablets with a map of the temple area and understanding some recording history, we will visit the stone gate that was earlier in front of the temple but was shifted across the street to make space for the road. As we admire this magnificent gate, I will tell you stories behind the strange appearance of our statues of lions - the perfect cultural fact to take home with you at the end of the tour.