Jiading Confucius Temple

Jiading is an ancient town located in Jiading District, about 20 kilometres northwest of Shanghai. On the southside of Jiading, in South Street, is the famous Confucius Temple, known locally as Jiading Kongmiao.

It is one of the biggest and best preserved temples in Eastern China. It also serves as the Jiading Museum, and provides information about the 1300 year history of the area during Imperial times, as well as the Ancient Qiyuansee period. There are full and accurate descriptions of the beginning, development and disappearance of Imperial China, relevant to the Jiadong area.

This temple was first built in 1219, during the twelfth year of the Jiading period of the South Song Dynasty. Later renovations, reconstruction and extensions occurred during the Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. As a result, the temple was famous as the the best temple in the central area of Wu.

A stone balustrade leads to the temple, adorned with 72 stone lions, each with a unique pose. Three memorial archways, named Yanggao, Xingxian and Yucai, are erected outside the temple, along this balustrade.

The main building of the temple is the majestic Dacheng Palace. Inside the palace is a statue of Confucius, and calligraphy sculptures of Lanyu, often regarded as the best existing records of the ideology of Confucius. In the corridors of Mingluntang Hall are ancient inscriptions with extremely high archaeological value.

In 1958, the municilpal museum of Jiading was built at the temple. Among the exhibits are 90 stone tablets with ancient inscriptions

http://www.worldtravelx.com/china-jiading-confucius-temple/ June 30th 2009 05:41

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