There are many temples throughout China and Taiwan worshiping Confucius, the great Chinese thinker and educator. There are many temples throughout China and Taiwan worshiping Confucius, the great Chinese thinker and educator.
The Nanjing Temple was built in A.D. 1038 during the Song Dynasty, but was destroyed in 1869, then rebuilt. The Japanese army burned it again in 1937, and it was again rebuilt. It has been elected one of the forty best scenic spots in China.
The Song Dynasty was a period of great Confucian revivalism and the temple here is considered to be one of the best preserved of its type in China. During the Ming Dynasty the temple was expanded and became a school for children of the imperial court. The buildings on both sides of the Temple which are now small tourist shops were once individual study rooms for Confucian scholars. The Qinhuai River flows in front of the Temple and there is also a 110-meter-long screen stonewall (the largest in the nation) nearby, which can be viewed from the bridge crossing the river in front of the Temple. A beautiful Lantern Show is held at the Temple during the 1st to the 18th days of the Lunar Year.
