Taiwan - Taipei - Confucius Temple (1)

Confucius Temple, Taipei.

Sent by Sonia, a postcrosser from Taipei, Taiwan.

This is from Wikipedia : The Taipei Confucius Temple (Chinese: 臺北孔子廟; pinyin: Táiběi Kǒngzǐ Miào; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-pak-khóng-chú-biō) is modeled after the original Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong Province of China. It is located on Dalong Street, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan. Among the Confucius temples in Taiwan, Taipei's is the only one adorned with southern Fujian-style ceramic adornments. At the main hall of the temple one can see a black plaque with gold lettering which was inscribed by Chiang Kai-shek that reads "Educate without Discrimination." Every year on September 28, a ceremony with traditional music and stylized dancing is held at the temple in honor of Confucius.

The Taipei Confucius Temple was built in 1879 during the Qing Dynasty when Taipei was established as the prefectural capital of Taiwan. During the period in which Japan occupied Taiwan as a colony, the temple was demolished. It was later rebuilt in 1930 by Wang Yi-Shun.

The newly completed temple had only been in use for a few years when World War II broke out. The Japanese ordered an end to traditional Chinese ceremonies, and Japanese Shinto ritual music was played in the temple for a brief period until 1945 when Taiwan was taken under the administration of the Republic of China.