Zuoying Confucious Temple 高雄左營孔子廟

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The Zuoying Confucius Temple (aka Kaohsiung Zuoying Confucius Temple) is a large Confucius Temple in Taiwan. It sits near the beautiful Lotus Pond, and is surrounded by countless other temples in the area. Today it is an important place for Confucian learning and a popular tourist attraction in Kaohsiung City. 

Historical Background:
The Zuoying Confucius Temple was completed in 1974 over the ruins of the former Qishan Shinto Shrine.  Covering an area over 6000 cubic meters, it is one of the larger Confucious temples in Taiwan. It was built after the northern Taiwan temple style, resembling the Forbidden City in Beijing. 
Zuoying's Confucius Temple is not the only Confucius temple in Kaohsiung. There is another one in Qishan, so the temples trade years for annual Kaohsiung City Confucius ceremonies. 

Hours:
9 AM to 5 PM (closed on Mondays)

Price:
Free

How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: From central Kaohsiung, go north on provincial highway 17 and then turn north on Xinzhuang 1st Road. The pond is on your left and is hard to miss. There is free and paid parking all around the lake. 
By Train: From the north you can walk to the pond from Zuoying HSR station, or from the south you can walk there from Zuoying Jiucheng TRA Station.

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:
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I have been to the Zuoying Confucious temple once on a trip to Lotus Lake. It is a nice place to relax and usually there are not many other people there. 

Check out our drone video above for an overview of the area.

360 degree view of the Kaohsiung Confucius Temple in Zuoying, with Lotus Lake in the background. #左營高雄孔子廟 #孔廟 #左營 #蓮池潭

Posted by Foreigners in Taiwan 外國人在臺灣 on Monday, November 30, 2020

​Or check out the 360 degree spherical panorama above.

You can also see above for a brochure of the temple. 

The temple sits right next to the Lotus Pond.

There is a cool small island right next to it with a five turn bridge to get there.

Another view of the island near the temple. 

In front of the temple is an old bridge and gate. I assume there used to be water under the bridge but when I went it was dry. 

Across the street is one of the biggest morning markets in Kaohsiung. 

You can park at the park to the west of the temple.

Around the temple there is a bike path and a nice grassy lawn.

There is only one entrance at the front, the rest of the doors around the temple are closed.

View of the front entrance to the temple. 

Another view of the front gate.

This place is wheelchair freindly. 

Before we went in, we had to sign our names and wear masks which is standard procedure in Taiwan during COVID.

View inside the main courtyard.

View of the cieling at the main entrance.

Straight on view of the main temple. 

View from the side.

Another view of the hallway on the west side.

The only other people there were volunteers and employees at this coffee shop inside the temple which was open.

The main shrine in the temple, with is spirit tablet for confucious.

A man taking photos in front of more spirit tablets. ​

More spirit tablets on a courtyard to the side.

Another shrine at the back of the temple. 

More spirit tablets at the side of the temple. 

Check out more photos of the main temple in the photo gallery above.

Wenchang Temple ​文昌祠

Wenchang Temple sits right next to the Confucious temple at the Lotus Pond's edge. It is a part of the Confucious Temple, but for now it is under rennovation and not open to the public. 

Check out more photos of the Wenchang Temple in the photo gallery above

Also, you can see more of our photos via drone in the gallery above. 

The Lotus Pond in Zuoying District of Kaohsiung is one of the most beautiful scenic areas in Taiwan. Much of the lake is full of traditional Chinese temples, gardens, and architecture. Because of its size, it cannot be properly appreciated by only going there for one afternoon; there are simply too many things to see and do there. For a detailed virtual tour of the entire lake, check out our blog here.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more of our blogs on Kaoshiung to come!

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