Shanghai Confucian Temple (Wenmiao Temple) [Shanghai]

Shanghai Confucian Temple (Wenmiao Temple) is located on Wenmiao Road, not far from the Yuyuan Garden. It is the only Confucian site in downtown Shanghai. It was said that candidates for imperial examinations would walk the street before sitting for the exam so as to get help from Confucius.

The temple originated as the Zitong Clan Temple (located on another site) immediately after the founding of Shanghai County in 1291, for the esquires to offer a sacrifice to Confucius and the scholars of Shanghai County to study further at that time. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in 1854 by fire. The Magistrate planned the temple's reconstruction and asked a scholar surnamed Jia to find a good place with perfect geomantic omens. Jia chose the current site. It was reconstructed in 1855, and renovated in 1997. According to the records, 279 shanghai scholars became officers in the three dynasties of Yuan, Ming and Qing. The temple, as a cultural center for hundreds of years, has been a site open for the tourists at home and abroad to appreciate the traditional Chinese culture - Confucianism. Jingye High School, first built in the Ming Dynasty as one of the oldest schools in Shanghai, is near the temple.

The Dacheng Hall used to be the main hall for paying tribute to Confucius. Many of the halls in the complex house rotating exhibitions, offering a selection of drawings depicting the life of Confucius, animal sculptures, and old Chinese shoes. Like the Yuyuan, the temple housed the Small Swords Society when they took over the city during the Taiping Uprising. The Kuixing Tower, standing 20 meters high, once offered a panoramic view of the Old City.

There were many bookstores near the temple in old days and students were delighted in searching for good books there. Modern cultural celebrities were frequent customers. The writer A'ying once wrote of the happiness he found in rambling around the various bookstores and the joy he felt can still be detected in his lines today.

The good times ended when the "Cultural Revolution'' began. All the bookstores were shut and excellent books suddenly became "poisonous grass''. It was a big calamity. Only a few second-hand bookstores survived that period. The temple was heavily damaged during the period.

In the 1980s, a second-hand book market was set up near the temple. Heading to the temple's main entrance, you are down a street, lined by book vendors. The front courtyard of the temple houses a book market for used books and at the back gate of the temple sits another book market that specializes in new, surplus books and magazines. The market attracts a multitude of people from every corner of Shanghai. Some book lovers can even find rare editions of some books.