Taipei Confucious Temple

I learned very quickly while researching destinations in Taiwan that there are several Confucious Temples in the country. That makes sense, given how important Confucious is in China's (and thus Taiwan's) history. This is the only temple that I made it to early enough to actually explore inside.

 The highlight of this temple is the grounds. The gardens and architecture blend together beautifully, as you can see by this gated path surrounded by several colorful bushes.

 A large portion of my time was spent wandering the grounds.

 Cross the bride!

 A modern building is near the entrance. While I had time to explore and take several pictures, there wasn't enough time to go in the building. It isn't part of the original temple grounds but it is part of the current complex. I guess I should mention that the curren temple itself was finished in 1930 after it had been destroyed earlier.

 The plaza outside the original walls is fairly nondescript, but go back inside...

 ...through the very colorful gate.

 The walls themselves are quite ornate, especially here in front of the crescent pond.

 A small bridge leads across the pond.

 I believe this is the only Confucious Temple in Taiwan to have ceramic artwork such as this seal found on the wall (see a couple pictures up for location).

 Looking across the bridge from in front of the seal, you see the gate into the temple.

 Ornate carvings and a fancy big door await.

 Most of the doors are closed, but you can enter on the side.

 And see these columns of text.

 Look up! Temple ceilings are quite beautiful in China (and Japan).

 Inside the gate is the actual temple, even nicer than the gate outside!

 The walls of the inner complex hold rooms for various purposes.

Unfortunately I couldn't spend any more time here because they were closing.

But as I was walking back past the outer wall, I saw this plaque. This is on the other side of that ceramic seal on the wall.

While the temple isn't too large, plan to stay for about an hour to really take your time and enjoy the entire area. I had less than 30 minutes to run around and see all I could, which certainly isn't peaceful!

The temple opens at 8:30, and stays open til 9 pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 5 pm on Sunday, but it's closed Monday. You can get there via a short walk west from Yuanshan Station.