Tainan Confucius Temple

A Confucius temple was not only a place to worship the most famous teacher in Chinese history. In the past, it was a school for children. It was also the place where the imperial examination was held, in which intellectuals tried to secure official positions. The Confucius Temple in Tainan has a history more than 350 years. It's the first Confucius temple and school in Taiwan. According to Analects of Confucius, a collection of his sayings, Confucius held a negative attitude toward the existence of ghosts and deities. Therefore, architecture-wise, the gate door in the Confucius temple do not have the Door Gods’ portraits on it in order to show the respect for Confucius. In addition, the doors studded with 108 doornails—symbols of the 108 stars in heaven—demonstrate that Confucius has a status as high as the leading deity. Moreover, there is no couplets posted on the two sides of the door. Compared to the later-constructed Confucius temples in Taichung or Kaohsiung, the one in Tainan is somewhat a little smaller—considering the area it covers and its scale. Yet, its design as a three-section compound and the history it carries make the temple an attraction that cannot be missed out during a trip to Tainan. Even if you are not quite interested in history and culture, you can still find lots of tasty snacks around the area since the town nearby had been developed early. For example, you can sample the stir-fried instant noodles at Bro Bao's Instant Noodle (保哥黑輪炒泡麵) on Fuzhong Street (府中街) or taste the dishes served in Jinfu Fortune Stir-fried Eel Experts (進福炒鱔魚專家) as well as Fuji Bawan (福記肉圓).