Pingtung Confucius Temple 屏東孔廟

Share

---

Tweet

Pingtung Confucius Temple is a former Tutorial Academy dating back to 1815 that was nearly destroyed during the Japanese era but was moved to another location. The temple has also recently been refurbished and is one of the most beautiful historic Confucius Temples in Taiwan. It is definitely worth a visit on your next trip to Pingtung. 

Background:
For millennia Pingtung had been inhabited by plains aboriginal groups. Their biggest settlement was called Ahou, on the current site of Pingtung City. 
The first Chinese settlers came to the area in the late 1600s during the Kingdom of Tungming and Qing Dynasty. Before that time, the area was known as a place of exile for Chinese criminals. During the Qing Dynasty, the area was part of Fengshan County.
The Pingtung Tutorial Academy was completed in 1815, and its purpose was to provide a place of study for scholars.
During the Japanese Era, The City of Pingtung underwent urban planning and the Tutorial Academy was nearly destroyed. The building was originally located near Pingtung Park roughly on the spot of land where Pingtung County Stadium now stands, however under the advice of Gaijiro Fujishima, the building was preserved and moved a few blocks north in 1937.
After the start of the Japanese Era, the building was used as a Confucius Temple. 
Normally there are not many people near the gate and the area is not very busy.
​
Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

Tours and Activities in Pingtung:
There are many activities available in Pingtung, such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, surfing, submarine riding, and river tracing. 
You can find more tours of Kenting on Klook here or KKday here. 

Where to stay:
Looking for a hotel? Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
I have stayed at many hostels and hotels in Pingtung, and even almost bought a house here. Some places that I have stayed at and can recommend are Nanwan Kiki (book on Agoda here, Booking.com here), a B&B next to Nanwan Bay, Kenting's most popular Beach. There are also a few decent hotels near Kenting Street Night Market like Kenting Star Inn 888 (book on Agoda here, Klook here, or Booking.com here), or Kenting Dajianshan Hotel (book on Agoda here or Booking.com here). You will notice that none of these hotels are five star resorts (I do not come to Kenting to waste my time at a resort, but you can still search Agoda, Booking.com, or Klook here for those) but they are in my opinion the above have the best value for the money. 
​
How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: Take Provincial Highway 1 south to the bottom of Taiwan until it becomes Pingtung City. The Confucius Temple is on Shengli Road in the middle of the city. 
Looking for scooter rental in Pingtung? Click here or here to search for options.
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or  KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. 
By Train: Pingtung Confucius Temple is about a 10 minute walk from Pingtung TRA Station. You can book tickets to Kaohsiung via high speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here, or book tickets via the normal train (TRA)  on Klook here. You can book tickets to travel to Pingtung via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. 

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

We have been to Pingtung Confucius Temple once. I was impressed at how well preserved the building it. It felt like the area had just been painted yesterday. I think there was a very recent renovation.
I learned only later that the temple had been moved from its original location. This is not the first time this has happened in Taiwan, a similar thing happened to the Hsinchu Confucius Temple.

On the way to the Confucius Temple, you will see this huge fake tree which I think is a work of art in front of the Pingtung County Gym.

While I was there in 2023 I also noticed that quite a few Japanese Era buildings were under renovation. I imagine they will become either coffee shops or museums in the future. 

At the front of the lot with the Confucius Temple, you will see a dessert shop.

The front of the lot with rules to follow.

There is a nice grassy area, pond, and garden behind the temple. 

On the left of this footpath is also a new fountain. 

First view inside the temple. 

Reading room entrance. 

View inside the reading room. 

Courtyard with round doorway.

Another view of the reading room and nook. 

Rounded doorway.

Main entrance to the temple. 

The front of the temple and Shengli Road. 

The main shrine. 

Closer view of the main shrine. 

Main shrine. 

Renovated ceiling beams. 

Decorative plaque. 

Names of important scholars. 

Another view of the roof. 

Side shrine. 

More names of scholars. 

Closer view of the shrine. 

Side courtyard with new tree.

Side reading room. 

Side hall. 

New Bathroom. 

Fountain. 

Man made river and dessert shop.

Newly renovated Japanese era house. 

This one has been converted into a coffee shop.

Overall this area of downtown Pingtung is peaceful and relaxing, and is a great place to take a stroll. 

You can see more photos of the area above. 

Don't forget there are many more activities in Pingtung such as such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, surfing, submarine riding, and river tracing. 
You can find more tours of Kenting on Klook here or KKday here. 

You can check out our full guide to Pingtung here. 

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. ​

Share