Strange in such a small and comparatively insignificant city, the Confucius Temple (Wen miao or Kong miao) in Jilin is a grand and stately structure. This temple is ranked as one of the four largest of its kind along with the Qufu, NanjSing and Beijing temples. The layout here is in a similar style to the Nanjing  Confucius Temple. In terms of sheer size the Jilin temple is second only to that in Qufu, Shandong Province, home to the great philosopher and educator himself.

The temple was built in 1909, just two years before the collapse of the last of the Chinese dynasties, the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).  The south-facing complex is 221m by 74m large, surrounded by walls on four sides that rise as high as three meters. You will see most of the standard buildings here: the Hall of Great Achievements, the Hall of the Relics of the Sage and various periphery structures. Exhibited in the temple are pictures and literature portraying and depicting the life and accomplishments of Confucius. In addition, the Forest of Steles is also a good place for those fascinated by Chinese calligraphy.

The highlight here is probably the statues, one of Confucius, and another of his student, Mencius, who was one of the disciples  who was to spread Confucianism after the sage had died.

Address: 2 Nanchang Jie.
How to get there: Take bus No.13 (fare: RMB0.5) from the railway station.
Cost: RMB10.

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