Kaohsiung Confucius Temple

Kaohsiung Confucius Temple

The Kaohsiung Confucius Temple is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Confucius Temple is located by Lotus Pond in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City. It is built in the architectural style of the Song Dynasty, and is the largest Confucius Temple in scale across the island, featuring a majestic and solemn design. In...

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The Confucius Temple was first built in 1684 AD, and only the Chongsheng Shrine from the original structure has been preserved. The new Kaohsiung Confucius Temple was rebuilt in 1977 on the northwest bank of Lotus Pond. The overall architectural style follows that of Song Dynasty Confucius Temples, along with the layout of the Qufu Confucius Temple in Shandong, incorporating the characteristics and culture of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. It is the largest Confucius Temple in Taiwan by total area.

Outside the temple is a square with an arched bridge, beside which lies a bronze relief wall depicting the life and deeds of Confucius, the Great Sage. Every year on September 28th, Teachers’ Day, a grand Confucius Worship Ceremony is held at the temple. Looking east from the temple, you can see a solitary mountain with steep cliffs resembling a knife-cut cliff face — this is Banping Mountain, known for its unique and striking shape.

Confucius (551–479 BC), whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi (present-day southeastern Qufu, Shandong), Changping County, the State of Lu. He was a thinker, educator, and statesman in the late Spring and Autumn period, the founder of Confucianism, and one of the most influential figures in Chinese history and culture. His impact extends worldwide, especially across Southeast Asia, making him one of the world’s cultural luminaries.

Confucius’s ancestors were from the royal family of the Yin (Shang) Dynasty; his great-great-grandfather, Weizi Qi, was the half-brother of the last Shang king, Zhou. Weizi Qi inherited the Shang lineage and was enfeoffed in the State of Song. His sixth-generation ancestor, Kong Fu Jia, was the first to adopt the surname Kong. His fifth-generation ancestor, Shu Liang He, fled to the State of Lu to escape turmoil and later settled in Zou, Lu... More details about Confucius++