Relics of worship on display at Beijing temple

2014-08-19 11:07:49

(China Daily) By Wang Kaihao

The Beijing Confucius Temple and the Imperial College boast complete and well-preserved cultural relics thanks to Zhou Enlai's order to protect them during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

Annual worship rituals are held at the Beijing Confucius Temple every year on Sept 28, the Chinese educator's birthday.

Wu came up with the concept for the exhibition after visitingthe Confucius Templein the sage's birthplace of Qufu,

Many cultural relics were destroyed in the anti-Confucius campaign during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). The Beijing Confucius Temple was spared after then-premier Zhou Enlai ordered it to be protected.

"I lived in this neighborhood at that time," says Li Chaoying, curator of the exhibition. "A wooden poster saying 'Everyone is forbidden from stepping into this crucial spot of cultural relics' was hung at the front gate. All of the things inside were thus saved.

"Confucius' spirit," Li adds, "flows in Chinese people's veins."