Confucius Temple was built in the Song Dynasty. It is located next to Gongyuan Street on the north bank of the Qinhuai River. It was originally a place where Confucius was worshipped, but was destroyed and rebuilt many times. Together with Beijing Confucius Temple, Qufu Confucius Temple, and Jilin Confucius Temple, it is known as the four major Confucius Temples in China. It is also the most important scenic spot in the Confucius Temple Qinhuai Scenic Area.
There is a Folk Art Grand View Garden in Confucius Temple. You can watch lanterns, paper-cuts, mini-carvings and other handicrafts on site, listen to local operas and Nanjing Baiju. When you enter Confucius Temple, you can pay attention to the performance schedule, which lasts about 10 minutes.
Every year from the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival, Confucius Temple will hold the Spring Festival Lantern Festival (also known as the Qinhuai Lantern Festival and the Jinling Lantern Festival), especially during the Lantern Festival, there are thousands of lights. In addition, Confucius Temple also holds “Ancient Etiquette Culture Exhibition” and “Ancient Dance Music Performance” from time to time, which is very lively.
The entire Confucius Temple complex is in front of the Confucian Temple, and in the back, it is the Academic Palace. The layout is symmetrical, forming a Confucian cultural axis from south to north. Dacheng Hall is the main hall of the Confucius Temple. A portrait of Confucius over 6 meters high hangs in it. It is known as a masterpiece of the Chinese Confucius Temple. On the four walls of the main hall are 38 colored stone inlaid murals “The Sacred Relics of Confucius”, reflecting the life deeds of Confucius. Walk out from the back door of Dacheng Hall to the Xuegong, there includes Mingde Hall and Zunjing Pavilion (that is, the Folk Art Grand View Garden). Four stone monuments stand on the south side of the Academic Palace.
Apart from visiting the Confucius Temple, it is natural to experience the Qinhuai River snacks. There are many restaurants in this area, such as crab shell biscuits, beef pot stickers, chicken noodles, duck blood vermicelli soup, etc. You must try it. In addition, there are many shops here, you can choose some affordable souvenirs with Qinhuai characteristics.
The architectural layout of Ta’er Lamasery and the Han Buddhist temples in the mainland is obviously different as the complex of Ta’er Lamasery is not axially symmetrical. Ta’er Lamasery is an ancient building group composed of numerous halls, scripture halls, pagodas, and colleges. The scriptures, halls and pagodas are irregularly distributed on a small hill. When tourists are playing there, the route is more casual, instead of going all the way along the central axis.
There is a tour guide service at the ticket office of Ta’er Lamasery. It is recommended to hire a tour guide because Ta’er Lamasery has a very deep historical connotation. Without a guide’s explanation, you will miss many interesting stories.