The bustling Confucius Temple tourist area on New Year's Eve

Confucius Temple is located on the north bank of the Qinhuai River in Qinhuai District, Nanjing City, west of Jiangnan Gongyuan and Gongyuan Street, located in the core area of the Confucius Temple Qinhuai Scenic Belt. It is a place for worshiping and offering sacrifices to Confucius. It is the first highest national academy in China and one of the four major Confucius temples in China. It is not only the cultural and educational center of Nanjing during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but also the cultural and educational center of the southeastern provinces. The Confucius Temple was built in the third year of Xiankang in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (337 AD). According to Wang Dao's proposal to cultivate talents for governing the country, the University was established on the south bank of the Qinhuai River. In the first year of Jingyou in the Northern Song Dynasty (1034 AD), the Eastern Jin Dynasty Academy was moved to the north of the Qinhuai River, and a temple was built in front of the Academy to worship Confucius. During the Jianyan period of the Southern Song Dynasty, it was destroyed by war and rebuilt in the ninth year of Shaoxing (1139 AD), known as Jiankangfu School. During the Yuan Dynasty, it was changed to Jiqinglu School. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it was changed to Guozixue, and later to Yingtianfu School. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the original prefectural school was changed to the county school of Shangyuan and Jiangning. It was destroyed by war again during the Xianfeng period, and rebuilt in the eighth year of Tongzhi (1869 AD). The Confucius Temple was destroyed four times and rebuilt five times. The last destruction was in the artillery fire of the Japanese invaders in 1937. It was gradually restored and rebuilt after 1984. From the Six Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, many aristocratic families gathered near the Confucius Temple, hence the saying 'Six Dynasties Gold Powder'. It is the largest traditional ancient street market in China, and is known as one of the 'Four Big Markets in China' along with Shanghai Chenghuang Temple, Suzhou Xuanmiao Temple and Beijing Tianqiao. Every time I come to Nanjing, I always take time to visit the Confucius Temple Scenic Area. After all, when it comes to Nanjing, I can't help but think of the Qinhuai River and the Confucius Temple. This time I came to Nanjing during the New Year's holiday, and even booked a room at the Jinling Zhuangyuan Building Hotel in the Confucius Temple Scenic Area, so that I could immerse myself in the lively atmosphere of the Confucius Temple Scenic Area and experience the scenery of the Qinhuai River. The Confucius Temple Scenic Area during the holiday is even more crowded than usual, and under the decoration of lanterns everywhere, it has a festive atmosphere. The pedestrian street mainly has special food and cultural and creative products. Even if there are many people, I have to buy some Nanjing special snacks such as roast duck, soup dumplings, and vermicelli soup. Then go to the Confucius Temple, Jiangnan Gongyuan, and the Imperial Examination Museum to stroll around. I have visited these places before, so this time I just watched the excitement outside. The short Wuyi Lane is a must-visit. The 'swallows in front of the Wang Xie Hall in the old days' have long disappeared, and there is no possibility of 'ordinary people's homes' here. I have experienced the Qinhuai River cruise before, so I didn't take it this time, but I still have to take a good look at the Qinhuai River. Over the past thousands of years, many officials, literati and inkmen have wandered and sighed by the river. Standing here, I can feel that I am meeting with those ancient people of all kinds across the air. After visiting the Confucius Temple Scenic Area at noon, I couldn't help but come again at night to see the Confucius Temple after the lights were turned on. As a result, the Confucius Temple and the surrounding area were crowded with people on New Year's Eve, and it was difficult to move, so I hurriedly turned around and went back to the hotel. However, the night view of the Confucius Temple is really beautiful, which makes me think that I will definitely come to visit the Confucius Temple again when I come to Nanjing next time before this trip is over.