Kaohsiung Confucius Temple

The Confucius Temple is located in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City, on the north bank of Lotus Pond, outside the North Gate of Zuoying Old City. This Confucius Temple is the largest in Taiwan, boasting a magnificent and solemn architectural style. As early as 1684, Magistrate Yang Fang-sheng constructed a shrine here. Later, due to damage from weather, it was repaired during the reigns of Emperors Qianlong and Guangxu, eventually forming its complete scale. The main structure includes the Dacheng Hall (Hall of Great Completion) in the center, flanked by east and west wings, with the Dacheng Gate (Gate of Great Completion) at the front and the Chongsheng Shrine (Shrine for Reverence of Saints) at the rear. The entire academic complex has a circumference of over 122 zhang (approximately 372 meters), indicating its comprehensive system and grand scale. Completed in 1976 (the 65th year of the Republic of China), it boasts an extraordinary aura with its back against the mountains and facing the water. Its architectural style references the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong, and the scale of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, making it solemn and magnificent, fully expressing reverence for the Great Sage and First Teacher. In the square outside the Confucius Temple, there is an arch bridge, alongside which is a bronze bas-relief depicting the deeds of the Great Sage and First Teacher Confucius. A grand Confucius worship ceremony is held annually on September 28th, Teachers' Day. Looking eastward from the Confucius Temple, one can see a rugged, solitary mountain whose left side appears to have been sliced by a knife. This is Banping Mountain, famous for its unique shape.