The temple building in which Kuixing God, the god of academicsis enshrined, is reopened at the Confucius Temple after five months of renovations.[Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

 

Two culture exhibitions will be held at the newly renovated Shanghai Confucian Temple near Yuyuan Garden on September 27 to commemorate the birthday of Confucius.

Confucius, one of China's greatest thinkers and the founder of Confucian culture, was born 2,559 years ago.

"A feast of Confucian culture will be open to the public," said official Wang Aizhen.

The exhibitions will feature Chinese characters on horizontal inscribed boards written by "Zhuang Yuan" - people who were the number one scholars in the highest imperial examinations. Craftsmen carved words on the rectangular wooden boards before the boards were hung in the temple in ancient times. Various other calligraphy works will also be shown.

The temple was established in 1294 as an imperial construction to worship Confucius. The current site was chosen in 1855.

Elaborately designed with pagodas, small bridges, flowing water and lush greenery, the temple was also known as the school palace, the highest learning institution in Shanghai, in ancient times.

Some of the most famous constructions of the temple have only just been opened to public after undergoing months of renovation.

The city's first public library "Cangshulou" - which means building for book collection - has been painted. Four new horizontal inscribed boards and an antithetical couplet - two phrases or sentences written as calligraphy on vertical red banners typically placed on either side of a door or in a large hall - has been added.

"A majority of horizontal inscribed boards and antithetical couplets are derived from the Confucian Temple in Qufu City, Shandong Province, which was the hometown of Confucius," said Wang.

(Shanghai Daily September 1, 2008)