loading . . . Pingtung Confucius Temple (屏東孔廟) View fullsize
It was a rare occasion that I found myself in Pingtung City, after what was probably a decade since my last visit. I was there primarily to check out the Pingtung Martial Arts Hall, but with about eight hours available to tour the city before having to be back in Kaohsiung for my birthday celebrations, there were also a few other destinations in town that I wanted to check out with the time I had.
The downtown core of Pingtung City that we’re able to visit today was primarily developed during the Japanese era, and the Martial Arts Hall wasn’t the only tourist attraction in town that dates back to that period of Taiwan’s history, so I made an effort to visit a few of them.
It may actually surprise you to know, though, that when I’m traveling, I also visit tourist destinations that may not necessarily have anything to do with the Japanese-era. Admittedly, I write quite a bit about that period of Taiwan’s history as part of my research projects, but I also have a number of other on-going projects, documenting various aspects of Taiwan’s history.
One of those projects, one of the first when I opened this website, was introducing the Confucius Temples located around the country, of which there are more than a dozen.
> **Link** : The Confucius Temples of Taiwan
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In the article linked above, I point out that while there are several Confucius Temples in the country that are indeed ‘historic,’ the majority of them were actually constructed over the past few decades.
The newly-constructed temples were part of an attempt to ‘Sinicize’ the people of Taiwan, with the Nationalists attempts to promote the superiority of Chinese culture and identity. What becomes quite apparent, if you’re paying attention, is that the historic Confucius Temples, such those in **Tainan** and **Changhua**, were constructed in the Hokkien style of architectural design, making them similar in appearance to almost all of the other places of worship in Taiwan. While, on the other hand, the modern temples were all constructed in a Northern Chinese style of design, something which is quite foreign to Taiwan.
> **Link** : Taiwanese Hokkien-style Architecture (臺灣閩南建築)
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In fact, if we look at the history of Taiwan’s historic Confucius Temples, most of them weren’t actually dedicated to Confucius when they were first constructed. For example, when **Koxinga** (鄭成功) was developing the area we know as Tainan today, he had several temples constructed in town, including a **City God Temple** (城隍廟), a **Martial Temple** (武廟) and a **Literary Temple** (文廟), each of which were considered essential for the spiritual governance of a tradition town.
The Literary Temple, which was dedicated to education would later be converted into Tainan’s Confucius Temple, but in the case of the Pingtung Confucius Temple, its origin is slightly different as it got its start as a **Tutorial Academy** (書院), an education institute that helped to prepare Taiwan’s intellectuals for the **Imperial Examinations** (科舉).
When the Qing took control of Taiwan in 1683, a number of these academies were constructed around the island, or at least in the areas they were able to control, and while they acted as private schools devoted to higher learning and the promotion of Chinese classics, literature, philosophy, ethics, etc. They were also home to shrines to the great teacher, and other literary deities.
With about seventy of these academies scattered across the island, what you might find interesting about them is that many were constructed in an architectural design that was relatively similar to the traditional layout of a Confucius Temple, which would make their later conversion rather smooth.
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Today, only a few of these academies remain in existence around the country. In some cases, some of them have been converted into a Confucius Temple, or another place of worship, while others may have been converted into private housing, but for the most part, most of them have slowly disappeared with the passage of time.
Today, I’ll be introducing the Pingtung Confucius Temple, which for the better part of its history was known as the Pingtung Academy. Even though the Pingtung Confucius Temple isn’t one of the more well-known of these temples in Taiwan today, it has a pretty interesting history spanning from the Qing-era, the Japanese-era and the current period of Taiwan’s history, and its establishment acts as the namesake for both the city where its located, and Taiwan’s southern-most county.
Below, I’ll introduce the history of the Confucius Temple, offer a timeline of events, and detail its architectural design before offering some practical information about how you can get there.
# **Pingtung Confucius Temple** (屏東孔廟)
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The history of Confucius Temples in Taiwan is surprisingly long, and somewhat convoluted, as they started to make an appearance shortly after the arrival of **Koxinga** (鄭成功) and his pirate navy, which established the **Kingdom of Tungning** (東寧王國) in Southern Taiwan.
The short-lived kingdom, which had its capital based in the greater-Tainan area, had a shelf life of just a few decades (1661-1683), but in that short time, the ‘kingdom’ left a legacy that amazingly continues to reverberate across Taiwan today. Much has been written about the adventures of Koxinga and his family in Taiwan, and for a group of pirates, what they were able to accomplish in terms of developing the areas they controlled was quite epic.
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Today, there are few places in Taiwan where you’ll find more evidence of that work than in Tainan, where a visit to some of the area’s most popular tourist sites prominently put on display historic forts, mansions, and places of worship that were constructed during that period of Taiwan’s history.
What’s important to note about the Kingdom of Tungning, though, isn’t just that they were a massive group of pirates who developed Tainan as a base of operations, but that they were loyalists to the deposed rulers of the **Ming Dynasty** (明朝), and staunchly anti-Qing. Their overall mission was essentially to be a constant thorn in the side of the newly established Manchu Empire with the goal of ridding China of Manchu rule altogether.
Becoming such a pain in the neck to the Qing rulers, the empire eventually got so fed up that when the navy was ready, they set off to bring the kingdom to its knees. Setting sail for Penghu, and then onto Taiwan, the mission was simple: Bring the **Kingdom of Tungning** (東寧王國) to an end.
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The point wasn’t originally to take control of Taiwan and bring the island under Qing control, but since the island was being utilized as a base of operations for the pirates to attack Chinese port towns and for disrupting shipping routes, the navy sought to put all of that to an end. The kingdom, however, also posed an existential threat to Qing rule as it also offered safe haven to some for the remaining members of the Ming Imperial family, who sought to restore their empire.
**Admiral Shi Lang** (施郎), who led the navy, however, eventually petitioned the Qing government to take formal control of Taiwan. The rulers in in China, though, felt like governing the island would become a massive financial burden and weren’t particularly interested in such an undertaking. Motivated by greed, though, Shi Lang made some convincing arguments and they eventually capitulated. For his military success, Shi Lang was given the title of **Marquis** (三等靖海侯), and was later sent to govern the island.
As mentioned earlier, Taiwan’s first Confucius Temple was initially constructed as a ‘**Literary Temple** ’ (文廟), which offered educational opportunities for people in the area, but since the Kingdom of Tungning were a bunch of rebel pirates, the people being educated there weren’t actually ever able to take the Imperial Examinations, which were pretty consequential at the time. To solve this problem, when the Qing took control of Taiwan in 1683, construction of a number of what were known as ‘**Tutorial Academies** ’ (書院) started in areas around Taiwan.
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During the period of Shi Lang’s, only a handful of academies were built, and even though most resources will point to his legacy as an early patron of higher education in Taiwan, it’s probably more important to remember his period rule as just another in the long line of corrupt rulers who used and abused the people of Taiwan.
For his part, Shi Lang essentially seized a large portion of Taiwan’s developed land, and used it for his own profit. From his base in Fujian, he extorted money from the island’s residents, and instituted many of the Qing-era policies that aimed to isolate Taiwan from the rest of the empire.
It was during this period that immigration to Taiwan was more or less banned, and for those lucky enough to come, they had to do so on an individual basis, with women and families banned from crossing the strait, a policy meant to prevent migrants from permanently settling on the island.
These policies continued well after the admiral’s death, and from 1683 until 1895, many of them remained intact, proving that the Qing held a considerable amount of contempt for the island - but this was probably exacerbated by the fact that their period of rule over the island was constantly under threat due to uprisings and rebellions, for which they had a phrase in the imperial court that translated literally was "_every three years an uprising; every five years a rebellion_ " (三年一反、五年一亂).
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Nevertheless, in the areas of Taiwan that the Qing managed to hold administrative control over, over seventy of these academies were constructed over the next two centuries. From 1684 to 1895, one of these administrative areas was known as **Fongshan County** (鳳山縣), an area that stretched from Tainan all the way to the southern tip of Taiwan.
In 1814 (家慶11年), the famed **Fongyi Academy** (鳳儀書院), one of the handful of remaining Tutorial Academies in Taiwan, was constructed, and shortly thereafter, the magistrate of Fongshan County, **Wu Hsing-Cheng** (吳性誠) set out to have one constructed across the river in **Akauw** (阿緱), the area we know today as Pingtung.
The **Pingtung Tutorial Academy** (屏東書院) was constructed in 1815 (家慶12年), and when officially opened was complete with classrooms, a shrine to the literature gods, and thirty-six dorm rooms, which were provided for the students at the academy who were preparing to take the **Imperial Examinations** (科舉).
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Suffice to say, not much happened at the academy for the next few decades, save for it being completely reconstructed in 1880. Its time as a tutorial academy, though, wasn’t long for the world as the Japanese took control of Taiwan as per the terms of the Qing empire’s surrender in the First Sino-Japanese War. With the Japanese taking control of the island, the system of preparation for the Imperial Exams came to an abrupt conclusion, and the Japanese instead instituted their own system of education. Thus, in 1895 (明治28年), the Pingtung Academy was formally converted into a Confucius Temple, and the other seventy academies were also shut down and repurposed.
For the next few decades, the Confucius Temple performed the regular activities of a Confucius Temple, and acted as literature hub in the newly established ‘**Ako Prefecture** ’ (阿緱廳 / あこうちょう). The Japanese authorities, though, had larger plans for the area, and a considerable amount of development and urban reform projects were taking place around the island.
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Interestingly, like several other large settlements in Taiwan at the time, the Japanese weren’t particularly fans of their originals names. In 1920, the town had developed enough that it was upgraded into a city, and it was at that time that the name was officially changed from ‘Ako’ to ‘Heito’ (屏東 / へいとう), and what’s significant about this name change is that the Japanese word ‘Heito’ is ‘Pingtung’ in Mandarin, which means that from 1920 until today, the Tutorial Academy has been the namesake for the southernmost region of Taiwan.
Despite the respect that was shown for the historic academy in the renaming of the city, in 1937, when the Japanese instituted their urban renewal plan for Heito, the academy fell victim as it was located within the area that was earmarked for **Heito Park** (屏東公園), which was also home to the **Heito Shinto Shrine** (屏東神社). Fortunately, though, the locals at the time recognized its historical significance to the area, so plans were made to have it carefully migrated to a new location, just a few hundred meters away. Once the academy-turned-Confucius temple moved to its current location, things more or less stayed the same, at least until the end of the Japanese-era.
When the Nationalists took control of Taiwan at the end of the Second World War, the annual Confucius ceremony on September 28th was re-instituted, and for the next few decades, not much else changed. After about four decades in its new location, though, the local government contracted **Han Pao-teh** (漢寶德), a famed architect, educator, scholar, writer, museum curator and calligrapher, to plan and oversee a complete restoration of the temple, a project that would take two years to complete.
A few years after the Confucius Temple was restored, the Pingtung County Government awarded the building**Protected Heritage status** (縣定古蹟), but in order to truly recognize the building’s history, the Confucius Temple was officially re-designated as the Pingtung Academy in 1988.
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Despite being renamed, the academy retained its role as Pingtung’s Confucius Temple, and to this day, the annual celebrations on Confucius’s birthday continue to be held there. Unfortunately, despite being one of Pingtung City’s most historic tourist destinations, all of this renaming has caused a bit of confusion. I’ve referred to the building as the Pingtung Confucius Temple, and I’m titling this article as such, but in actuality, its official name is the Pingtung Academy.
There are very few resources about the building available, and even in Mandarin, you’ll find people referring to it by both names, which is why there tends to be a bit of confusion. It doesn’t particularly matter how you refer to this building. Its time as a tutorial academy lasted from 1815-1895, and in the one hundred and thirty years since, it has performed a role as a Confucius Temple, despite it not being officially named after the sage for the past four decades.
Below, I’ve compiled a timeline of historic events for the Pingtung Academy and/or Confucius Temple. If you’d like to read a concise timeline of events, click the drop-down below to check it out.
* # Pingtung Confucius Temple Timeline
* **1815** (家慶12年) - Fongshan County Magistrate, **Wu Hsing-Cheng** (鳳山縣知縣吳性誠) has the Pingtung **Academy** constructed.
* **1880** (光緒6年)- After sixty-five years of usage, the Pingtung Academy undergoes a complete reconstruction.
* **1895**(明治28年) - The Japanese Colonial Era begins here in Taiwan as part of the terms of surrender of the Qing during the First Sino-Japanese War. With the new regime taking control, the Imperial Examination system came to an end and most of Taiwan’s academies were shut down or converted into schools, temples or housing. The Pingtung Academy officially becomes a Confucius Temple.
* **1901** (明治34年) - **Ako Prefecture** (阿緱廳 / あこうちょう) is established along the south western coastal area of Taiwan stretching from present day Kaohsiung to Pingtung.
* **1920** (大正9年) - The Japanese government institutes the ‘**Doka policy** ’ (同化 / どーか), which standardizes Taiwan’s political divisions with the system used in the rest of the country. Among Taiwan’s eight prefectures, **Takao Prefecture** (高雄州 / たかおしゅう) is established, and as part of the prefecture, the town of Ako is officially renamed ‘**Heito** ’ (屏東).
* **1933** (昭和8年) - Heito is officially upgraded from a **town** (屏東街) to a **city** (屏東市)
* **1937** (昭和12年) - Heito City undergoes a period of **Urban Reform** (市區改正) in order to assist with the modernization and beautification of the city. The academy, which was located in the northern section of Pingtung Park, was migrated to a new plot of land just north of its original location, in order to preserve it as the local Confucius Temple.
* **1945** (昭和20年) - The Second World War comes to a conclusion and Japan is forced to surrender control of Taiwan. The annual Teachers Day celebrations on Confucius’s birthday once again resume at the Confucius Temple.
* **1949** (民國38年) - Chiang Kai-Shek and Chinese Nationalist government retreat to Taiwan, bringing with them several million refugees displaced by the Chinese Civil War.
* **1977** (民國66年) - The Pingtung County government contracts a well-known architect to oversee a restoration project on the Confucius Temple.
* **1979** (民國68年) - The restoration of the Confucius Temple is completed.
* **1985** (民國74年) - The Pingtung Confucius Temple is awarded protected status as a**Pingtung County Protected Heritage building** (縣定古蹟).
* **1988** (民國77年) - The Pingtung Confucius Temple is officially renamed **Pingtung Academy** (屏東書院), but continues to act as Pingtung’s official Confucius Temple.
* **2006** (民國95年) - The Pingtung Academy undergoes its first stage of restoration.
* **2008** (民國97年) - The Pingtung Academy undergoes its second stage of restoration.
* **2021** (民國110年) - The Pingtung Academy undergoes another period of restoration, combining it with a newly constructed park on its western side.
* **2025** (民國114年) - Due to typhoon damage, the main gate of the Academy undergoes a period of reparation with the entrance moved to the side of the building for the time being.
# **Architectural Design**
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As I mentioned earlier, Taiwan is currently home to more than a dozen Confucius Temples, some of which date back several hundred years. The **Tainan Confucius Temple** (臺南孔廟), **Changhua Confucius Temple** (彰化孔子廟) and the original Confucius Temple in Kaohsiung, known as the **Fongshan County Confucius Temple** (鳳山城孔子廟) each date back to the period between 1685 to 1723. In contrast to the modern temples that were constructed after the Nationalists took control of Taiwan, there is a noticeable difference in their architectural designs.
In each of the cases mentioned above, the Hokkien style of architectural style of design, which is similar to the design you’ll encounter at the vast majority of places of worship in Taiwan, was used to construct these temples, and that remains true with regard to the Pingtung Confucius Temple. However, keeping in mind that the Pingtung Confucius Temple was originally constructed as a Tutorial Academy, if you’ve visited any of the other Confucius Temples in Taiwan, you’re likely to notice that there are some differences in the layout at this one.
While not entirely uniform in their design, the Qing-era Tutorial Academies that were constructed around Taiwan were done so with an overall layout that was traditionally ‘academic’ in nature, and could thus be considered relatively similar in design to the layout of an official Confucius Temple.
> **Note** : _The layout of most Confucius Temples around the world take reference from the original temple dedicated in his honor in the Shandong Province town of_** _Qufu_** _(曲阜) where the sage is buried._
That being said, the design of these academies was rarely as strictly adhered to in the same way a Confucius Temple was, so not all of them were suitable for conversion, and it was also quite common for them to have shrines dedicated to Hokkien folk deities, more specifically the Hokkien God of Literature, **Wenchang** (文昌帝君).
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Generally speaking, the layout of a traditional Confucius Temple starts with a massive gate, known as the **Lingxing Gate** (欞星門), followed by the **Dacheng Gate** (大成門), a **Dacheng Hall** (大成殿), a **Chongsheng Shrine** (崇聖祠), and halls on the eastern and western sides of the complex.
In this case, though, there’s a **front gate** (山門), a **courtyard**(中庭), a**front hall** (前殿), a **rear hall** (後殿), two **halls set against the rear of the complex** (耳房) and **eastern and western halls** (東西廡). Overall, the appearance is relatively similar, but the minor differences are significant as they depart from tradition, which is extremely important with regard to the construction of Confucius Temples.
To the average observer, you’re not likely to notice much of a difference, but the space was set up to be a place of learning that also just so happened to feature a shrine, and not the other way around.
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Originally, the Pingtung Academy was constructed with a traditional ‘**courtyard style** ’ (合院) of design, which was quite common for these academies constructed during the Qing Dynasty. Constructed in a **north-facing-south** (坐北朝南) layout, the design was symmetrical with a central axis, with the central area acting as the lecture space, while the wings on the sides were the dormitory living spaces for the academy’s students. When the academy was converted into a Confucius Temple in 1895, the layout was slightly altered to accommodate the shrine, but not much had to be changed.
Starting from the exterior, you’ll come across something known in Mandarin as a ‘ _Zhaobi_ ’ (照壁), which is essentially just an independent screen wall that faces the gate. The wall features a four word idiom (九仞宮牆) taken from the ‘**Sayings of Confucius** ’ (論語**)** that is loosely translated as “ _The Master’s Wall is High, so if you cannot find the door, you will not experience the beauty of the ancestral temple or the government offices_ ” (夫子之牆數仞，不得其門而入，不見宗廟之美，百官之富，得其門者或寡矣).
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These ‘screen walls’ aren’t as common in Taiwan as they used to be, but you’ll still find one gracing the front of Taipei’s Confucius Temple - that being said, that particular wall isn’t located in front of the main gates, which are likely to have migrated at some point in the temple’s long history.
Coincidentally, all you have to do is walk around the wall, and you’ll find the **Main Gate** (山門), a simple one-door gate, with not much in terms of decorative elements, but you’ll notice that there is a plaque that at the top that reads “**Confucius Temple** ” (孔子廟), indicating that it was (at least once upon a time) the Pingtung Confucius Temple.
From the gate, if the doors are open, you’ll have an excellent view of the courtyard and the Main Hall. These days, though, visitors generally enter through the side entrance as the Main Gate is generally only open on special occasions, such as **Teachers Day** (教師節).
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Surrounding the complex on all four sides, you'll find a tall red brick wall, which if you take the phrase above into consideration, is symbolic in that it prevents people from entering, unless they do so through the gate. This gate is similar in design to what you’ll find at most Confucius Temples, but where it differentiates itself is that there are two ‘windows’ on either side of the Main Gate which feature the Chinese character for **literature** (文) and allow people passing by to peer inside.
Once you’ve entered the complex, you’ll find a large courtyard, with a red brick walkway and patches of grass on either side. The walkway, which was part of the recent restoration project is quite beautiful, and the its colors are complimented by the green grass and the bright sun. Leading visitors directly the Main Hall, one thing you’re likely to notice after you entered the gate, is that there is another set of brick walls that connect the Main Hall to the Eastern and Western wings.
This is another area where the architectural design differs from a traditional Confucius Temple as this space is generally open with the Main Hall directly in the middle of the courtyard. On both the eastern and western sides of the hall, you’ll find circular pathways, known as ‘**Moon Doors** ’ (月門) that offer more direct access to the wings, where the academy’s classes would have taken place.
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Architecturally speaking, the two walls, which branch out from the front of the Main Hall, connect directly to the eastern and western wings, which run parallel to the Main Hall. It’s important to note that this design is a common characteristic of traditional Hokkien-style design, completing a ‘connected’ square-shaped layout with the two halls set against the rear and an open **courtyard** (軒亭) in the middle, separating the Main Hall and the rear area.
The layout, however, is not the only aspect of the complex that derives its architectural design from Hokkien-style architecture, and as you’ll see later, when you think of traditional Taiwanese architecture, you’ll find that there is an elegance in the design of this ‘Confucius Temple’ that you’re not likely to experience at any of its modern contemporaries.
Even though its decorative elements are subdued in comparison to other Taiwanese places of worship, its design is (arguably) far more beautiful than what you’ll get with the modern temples designed in the Northern Chinese style of design.
Below, I’ll do my best to introduce the important architectural and decorative elements you’ll find with each of the buildings in the complex:
# **Front Hall or Dacheng Hall**(前殿 / 大成殿)
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Architecturally speaking, this building is the part of the entire complex that is meant to that stands out the most. It doesn’t particularly matter if you’re looking at this building as the academy’s lecture hall, or as the Confucius Temple’s ‘Dacheng Hall’, this building was always going to be the highest part of the complex, and its decorative elements are far more prominent than any of the other areas within the complex.
As the ‘**Dacheng Hall** ’ (大成殿), which is often translated into English as the ‘Hall of Great Perfection’ or the ‘Hall of Great Achievement’ this is the space where visitors will go to show their appreciation to the sage. When you approach the building, you’ll notice that above the main door, there is a **Hall of Great Perfection plaque** (大成殿牌匾), which indicates that there is a shrine for Confucius located inside.
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When you enter the building, directly in the center, you’ll find a shrine room that is similar to the other Confucius Temples around Taiwan with a **Spirit Tablet** (牌位) for Confucius placed within a shrine set against the rear wall. To the rear of the Confucius Spirit Tablet, you’ll find an additional four tablets, dedicated to the **four sages**(四配) **Yan Hui** (顏子), **Zengzi** (曾子), **Zisi** (子思) and **Mencius** (孟子), who were Confucian scholars and authored texts, which expanded upon the Confucian philosophy.
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On the eastern and western sides of the shrine room, you’ll find shrines set up to the Confucian equivalent of the ‘Twelve Disciples’, but in this case, they’re probably better known as the ‘**Twelve Philosophers** ’ (十二哲), with six of them on each side.
> **Note** : _For anyone interested, the_ _Twelve Philosophers_ _are_** _Min Sun_** _(_ 閔子鶱 _),_**_Ran Yong_** _(_ 冉雍 _),_**_Duanmu Ci_** _(_ 端木賜 _),_**_Zhong You_** _(_ 仲由 _),_**_Bu Shang_** _(_ 卜商 _),_**_You Ruo_** _(_ 有若 _),_**_Ran Geng_** _(_ 冉伯牛 _), Ziwo (_ 宰我 _),_**_Ran Qiu_** _(_ 冉有 _),_**_Yan Yan_** _(_ 言偃 _),_**_Zhuansun Shi_** _(_ 子張 _), Zhu Xi (_ 朱熹 _). For more information, you can read this article about the_ _Disciples of Confucius_ _(Wiki)._
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Generally speaking, shrine rooms at Confucius Temples tend to be devoid of decorative elements, but one area where you’ll want to pay attention is to the **calligraphy** **plaques** (古匾額), which have been donated by local figures over the years and are hanging high above the shrine. In this case, there are only three plaques set within the shrine, each of which I’ve translated and listed below.
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If you have a keen eye, you might notice that the plaques aren’t particularly all that old. Most of them were donated in the late 1970s, but this shouldn’t be too surprising given that the temple underwent a major restoration at that time, so when it was completed, politicians were quick to make donations. Another thing that’s important to point out is that there are two plaques with the exact same phrase on them.
From what I’ve experienced at other Confucius temples around the country, this isn’t a common occurrence, but since the phrase is the one most commonly used phrase to venerate Confucius, and they were both donated by high-ranking members of the government, I suppose it was probably not that big of an issue.
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1. **Constantly Progressing Confucian Education**(聖德日新) -**** Donated by former President Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) in August of 1977
2. **The Teacher for all Ages** (萬世師表) - Donated by former Minister of the Interior Lin Yang-gang in July 1979
3. **The Teacher for all Ages** (萬世師表) - Donated by former Vice President Hsieh Tung-min (謝東閔) in August 1979
Despite being originally constructed as a Tutorial Academy, when it was later converted into a Confucius Temple, what didn’t change was its architectural design. So, just like the Confucius Temples in Tainan and Changhua as I mentioned earlier, it retains its Hokkien-style design. As is usually the case with these things, I’ll start with the roof, because when it comes to Hokkien design, it’s the most significant part of the building.
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While somewhat subdued in its design and decorative elements, at least when compared to your average Taiwanese temple, the roof is designed with the what is known as a ‘**Swallowtail Ridge’** (燕尾脊). This particular type of roof features a curved ridge with both ends curving upwards. Mimicking the shape of a swallow’s tail, these kinds of roofs are also likened to the shape of a sharp crescent moon, and the straight lines on the ridge add beautiful symmetry to its design.
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The shape of the it’s ridge isn’t the only thing that stands out about these types of roof, though, as there are quite a few important pieces that work together to complete its elegant design. Starting with the apex, in the direct center of the ridge, you’ll find a flat section, known simply as the **Mid-Section** (頂脊 / 正脊), which is quite important as it is a space used to help identify the purpose of the building.
In most cases, if you are familiar with these things, when you look at the mid-section of the ridge, you’ll be able to identify whether the building is Buddhist, Taoist, or a Taiwanese Folk Religion place of worship, which is pretty convenient.
These things, however, aren’t common for Confucius Temples, so its possible that the ‘**Wish-Fulfilling Jewel** ’ (摩尼珠) that adorns the roof, which is generally derived from Buddhism, was an original addition when the building was a tutorial academy. Even enough there isn’t much of an explanation as to why it has been placed there, it’s an object that represents the potential to alleviate suffering and promote enlightenment, which I suppose makes sense in an educational setting.
‘**Wish-Fulfilling Jewel** ’ (摩尼珠)
The curved ridge also features a flat section that faces outward, known as the ‘**Ridge Spine** ’ (西施脊), where you’ll often find an incredible amount of decorative elements in the form of **cut porcelain carvings** (剪瓷雕). In this case, we have a number of floral elements mixed together with the ‘**Four Auspicious Beasts** ’ (四祥獸) - a tiger, leopard, lion and elephant (虎豹獅象). In the center, you’ll also find a **Qilin** (麒麟) and a **Phoenix** (龍鳳). These so-called ‘beasts’ serve a purpose similar to the dragons that you’ll find on the roofs of other Taiwanese temples in that they’re meant to help suppress evil spirits and protect the temple.
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In the past, I’ve written quite a bit about Hokkien-style architectural design, but it wasn’t until I started researching the architectural design specifics of this Confucius Temple did I learn about the style of carpentry that was used to construct the base of the building. Known in Taiwanese as ‘**táu kông** ’ (斗栱), it is a method of carpentry that originated in Hokkien architecture in China, but in the hundreds of years since has been altered to suit the environmental situation here in Taiwan. In this style, the roofs of the buildings are constructed with a high sloping hipped roof, featuring triangular-shaped gable ends. Working in conjunction with the tube-shaped roof tiles that adorn these roofs, the design is great at helping control the flow of rainwater. The key thing to remember, though, is that in order to support the weight of these roofs, the interior has to be equipped with a network of trusses and pillars to help keep everything stabilized.
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The ‘tau’ and ‘kong’ aspect of this design refers to the ‘brackets’ that are used to keep that network together. A lot of different pieces work together to construct these buildings, so it may seem a little weird that the term refers specifically to the small brackets that help hold it all together, but it’s important to keep in mind that they serve both functional and decorative purpose. For the most part, they’re all fastened in place without the use of nails to keep them connected, almost like a network of beautifully designed Lego pieces, even in a building as subdued in design as this one, if you take the time to look up, you’ll be treated to a great view.
The use of these brackets might be best viewed from the exterior doors where you’ll find eight pillars that work to stabilize the roof, and help keep the base of the building together. Within the interior, the height of the pillars is a lot higher, so the brackets are a bit more difficult to see clearly. When inside, though, I highly recommend you take some time to check out the painted murals on the pillars, which depict the life of Confucius.
# **Rear Hall or Chongsheng Shrine** (後殿 / 崇聖祠)
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On either side of the Confucius Shrine you’ll find doors that lead you directly to the Rear Hall area of the temple. According to tradition, this shrine is known as the **Chongsheng Shrine** (崇聖祠), and is an integral aspect of every Confucius Temple. However, with regard to the layout of Confucius Temples, as I mentioned above, these ‘halls’ are separated into two different buildings. In this case, they are connected via what is known as a ‘**pavilion** ’ (軒亭), a roof-covered walkway that features a number of pillars, helping to keep visitors from getting wet on rainy days.
The Chongsheng Shrine is a space typically used to venerate the ancestors of Confucius, as well as the various Confucian sages and philosophers throughout history. More specifically, you’ll find Spirit Tablets venerating Five Generations of Confucius’s ancestors (as well as his four concubines) and several other Confucian sages.
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The shrine space is set up quite similarly to the Dacheng Hall in that there is a shrine set against the rear wall, and then another two against the eastern and western walls with large tables in front of each for people to place offerings.
Architecturally speaking, a lot of what I mentioned in the description of the Main Hall above is taking place here, but in this case, the space is larger and a lot more open, which is a lot more comfortable. From the pavilion to the shrine, there are a number of symmetrically-lined red pillars and beautifully painted trusses above them that make the room simple, but elegant. The red pillars, combined with the white walls and the natural light and the breeze that’s able to come into the hall from the open space on the sides of the pavilion creates a enjoyable atmosphere.
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The roof of the Rear Hall is similarly designed with the Swallowtail roof design, but in this case there’s quite a bit of genius taking place. As mentioned above, the design of these roofs is meant to assist with the flow of rain water, but given that the space below is open, the way they deal with this is that rain is able to flow into the open space on the sides, while the rain from the mid-section flows onto the roof of the pavilion where there are gutters that distribute the water onto the walkway, which has its own drainage system. You’ll notice that the pillars in the pavilion section have long gutters running down the sides, which is probably a newer addition to the design.
Unlike the Main Hall, where you can stand in the courtyard and enjoy the view of the roof, it’s actually not very easy to enjoy the design of the Rear Hall’s roof as it is somewhat obscured by the pavilion. If you walk out to the Side Hall area, though, you can get a side view where you’ll notice that the Mid-Section in this case is adorned with a pagoda.
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When you find a pagoda in this area, it typically indicates that the temple is Buddhist, but it's important to keep in mind that ‘pagodas’ also represent a number of important themes. First, they're used as a method of ‘warding off evil spirits’ and for disaster prevention. They’re also known for representing filial piety and virtue, and for Buddhists they’re regarded as important buildings for safe-keeping of sacred texts.
In the Main Hall, you’ll find a number of plaques that were relatively recently donated to the ‘Confucius Temple’, but in the Rear Hall, there are an additional two plaques, which are quite important, as they date back to the construction of the Pingtung Academy in the early 19th Century.
I’ve translated a number of Confucian plaques over the years, so I’m somewhat familiar with their meanings, but in this case, the literal meanings are a bit difficult to translate into English, so I’ll do my best to offer an explanation as to what they mean.
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1. **Traditional Congratulatory Message for the Opening of the Academy**(珠囊大啟) - Donated by Fongshan County Magistrate Wu Hsing-Cheng in 1815 (鳳山縣知縣吳性誠). The literal meaning here refers to the donation of a bag of pearls, which likely refers to the treasure of academia.
2. **Traditional Congratulatory Message for the Opening of the Academy** (文光射斗) - Donated by Fongshan County Magistrate Duan Guang-xian in 1822 (鳳山縣知縣下淡水縣丞段光煃). The literal meaning is 'The Light of Literature Shoots for the Stars’.
In both cases, I’m actually somewhat uncertain if they’re originally supposed to be read in Mandarin or in Taiwanese. The first plaque was much more difficult to figure out, but the second one is just a common idiom-like phrase used to offer congratulations for the opening of a literary institution, which makes it safe to assume that the first plaque has a similar meaning given the characters that are being used.
If anyone else has a better translation, feel free to let me know!
# **Side Halls**(東西廡)
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Completing the traditional palace-courtyard-like design of the complex, like every other Confucius Temple in Taiwan, you’ll find that along both the eastern and western sides, there are auxiliary halls that you can visit.
Traditionally, these halls are used for the veneration of the Disciples of Confucius, but how they’re used really tends to vary based on the temple that you’re visiting. In some cases, these spaces are used as exhibition spaces for visitors to better understand the history of the temple, but in the case of the more modern Confucius Temples, you may find that the space is rented out, such as the case at the Kaohsiung Confucius Temple where there’s a coffee shop for visitors to have a seat while enjoying a drink and the serenity of the temple.
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In the case of the Pingtung Confucius Temple, which was originally the Pingtung Academy, these halls are slightly different in the way they’ve been utilized over the years as they were originally the spaces used for tutorial classes for the students at the academy. Today, the western hall is used for a number of purposes, with the hall split up between an open classroom space, administrative space, and a space for public restrooms for visitors.
The eastern hall, on the other hand is split up into a shrine space and a children’s library space, and as I mentioned earlier, the only people I encountered during my visit to the temple were a number of children who were enjoying the air conditioned library space.
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The shrine space is typical for Confucius Temples as you’ll generally find a space set up in the Side Halls dedicated to the veneration of the Disciples of Confucius as well as **Confucian Sages** (四科十哲), which are once again represented by Spirit Tablets.
The two halls, which run parallel length-wise to the main hall are meant to be subdued in design compared to far more important main area of the temple, which means that their decorative elements aren’t as prominent. Following the traditional Hokkien ‘courtyard’ style of design, the roof of both wings utilizes the **Rolling Shed Roof**(捲棚頂) style of design, with a height that is lower than that of the Main Hall.
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Keeping in mind that both of the wings are rectangular and run parallel to the sides of the main hall, the sloping roof features what is referred to in Hokkien-style design as a ‘**horseback** ’ (馬背) gable with both gable ends rising to form the shape of a horse’s back, with a long straight ridge on top.
# **Getting There**
> **Address** : #38, Shengli Road, Pingtung City, Pingtung County
>
> 屏東縣900屏東市勝利路38號
>
> **GPS** : 22.678637, 120.492511
>
> **Hours** : Tuesday - Sunday (8:30-5:30)
The Pingtung Confucius Temple is located a few blocks away from the downtown core of Pingtung, where you’ll find the busiest area of the city, its largest shopping center and Pingtung Park. The temple is also a short distance away from some of the city's other tourist attractions, including the **Pingtung Martial Arts Hall** (屏東演武場), **Pingtung Art Museum** (屏東美術館), **Shengli New Star Village** (勝利星村創意生活園區), and a number of other recently restored Japanese-era tourist attractions, which should make any visit to the area an eventful one.
From the Pingtung Railway Station, the Confucius Temple is about a twenty minute walk, and its a walk that I actually highly recommend as you’ll get to enjoy the subtle differences in this small southern Taiwanese city that you’re not likely to experience elsewhere in Taiwan. Along the way you’ll pass by a number of historic buildings and some pretty massive temples, which you may also want to check out as well.
If you choose to walk from the train station, you’ll simply walk up **Fengjia Road**(逢甲路) until you get to a large intersection where you’ll cross the street to **Zhonghua Road** (中華路), which you’ll follow directly until you arrive at the Confucius Temple. Along the way, you’ll pass by the Martial Arts Hall and Pingtung Park, which you may also want to stop by and check out.
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**Public Transportation**
If you prefer to make use of public transportation, there are several bus options that will get you to the temple. However, it has to be said that even without the amount of time it takes to wait for one of the buses to arrive, the ride takes about the same amount of time as it does to walk, so you’re not really saving much time with the buses.
Located a short distance away from the temple, just in front of Shengli New Star Village, if you take the bus, you’ll get off at the **Xingfu Park bus stop** (幸福公園站), which is services by the following bus routes. Click the bus number for a link to its route map and schedule.
**Pingtung Bus** (屏東客運): #506, #701B, #701D
Taking a look at the schedules, though, I could probably only recommend visitors attempt to take the #506 bus from the train station, because it seems like both of the 701 buses aren’t very frequent. You may just be better off walking, or taking a Youbike.
**Youbike**
You also have the option of hopping on one of Pingtung’s shared Youbikes and riding around Pingtung. There are a number of Youbike Stations in the city, so you can easily grab one make your way toward the Confucius Temple, or any other destination that you plan on visiting while in town.
Near the station, you’ll find a number of Youbike docks where you can swipe your EasyCard and hop on one of the shared bicycles. No matter where you’re traveling from in the city, you can dock the bike nearby, or pick one up when you want to leave.
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend downloading the Youbike App to your phone so that you’ll have a better idea of the location where you’ll be able to find the closest docking station.
> **Link** : Youbike - Apple / Android
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The Pingtung Confucius Temple is unlike almost all of its contemporaries. It is a small, yet quite beautifully restored temple, and whether you’re approaching it as a Confucius Temple, or as one of Taiwan’s historic Tutorial Academies, it doesn’t particularly matter. The temple has a long history in Pingtung, and even though it isn’t very well-advertised within tourism literature, if you’re in town, I recommend stopping by for a visit as its one of the oldest structures in town, and the namesake of the town itself.
When you visit, you’re likely to find more locals hanging out than tourists, and continuing its legacy as a place of learning, the temple has classrooms and a library for children to come and read the books they have available.
# **References**
1. Pingtung Tutorial Academy ｜屏東書院 (Wiki)
2. 高雄州 | Takao Prefecture (Wiki)
3. 屏東郡 | 屏東街 (Wiki)
4. History of education in Taiwan | 臺灣教育史 (Wiki)
5. Taiwan Under Qing Rule | 臺灣清治時期 (Wiki)
6. 屏東書院 (文化部文化資產局)
7. 屏東 屏東書院 - 書院介紹之十六 (老古板的古建築之旅)
8. 屏東書院 (Island Tapestry)
9. 築旅國境之南：屏東書院 踏進歷史軌跡 (Xin Media)
10. 走訪屏東書院 (國史館臺灣文獻館)
11. 各式斗栱大集合 (老古板的古建築之旅)
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# **Gallery /****Flickr (High Res Photos)**
Featured
June 14, 2026
Pingtung Confucius Temple (屏東孔廟)
June 14, 2026
June 14, 2026
May 2, 2026
Hsincheng Shinto Shrine (新城社)
May 2, 2026
May 2, 2026
April 11, 2026
Katsuo-ji (勝尾寺)
April 11, 2026
April 11, 2026 https://www.goteamjosh.com/blog/heitokong
