New Confucian Temple in Suixi opens

A ceremony was held for the opening of a newly-built Confucian Temple in Suixi county, Zhanjiang on Dec 29, to promote Confucianism in the modern era.

The former Confucian Temple, originally built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), was one of the largest of its kind in Guangdong province before being demolished in 1978. Since then, the public has called upon the temple's reconstruction.

Approval was finally granted by the Suixi government with work commencing on the project in July 2015.

The new 26,000-square-meter Confucian Temple emulates the building style of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) and features a bilateral symmetrical design and meticulous layout.

The main building, which is accessed by a 500-meter pilgrimage road, houses a statue of Confucius for worship. In addition to 108 etchings depicting his life story, aphorisms of Confucius written by famous calligraphers are displayed to enlighten future generations.

Attended by Confucianism experts and Confucius's descendants, the memorial ceremony saw a great number of followers read the Analects of Confucius, the unveiling of the statue and the paying of homage.