The Confucius Mausoleum ( 孔子 廟 ) in Nagasaki is the only Confucian temple in the world built by the Chinese outside of China. Even today, the land on which it stands is Chinese territory and land rights belong to the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo .
History
The first mausoleum of Confucius was built in 1893 by the Chinese community of Nagasaki with the support of the government of the Qing Dynasty . It was founded as a place of worship and training for the Chinese . The temple housed Confucian shrines and an elementary school. These buildings were severely damaged during the atomic bomb explosion on August 9, 1945 and were not restored and opened to the public until September 1967 . The temple was completely renovated in 1982 . Outside the walls of the temple are 72 statues depicting 72 followers of Confucius .
At the back of the temple is the Museum of Chinese History and an exhibition from the Palace Museum in Beijing. Maps of the Great Silk Road and models of early Chinese inventions, such as the world's first seismograph, are displayed here.
On the second floor there are more than 80 exhibits of various antiquities, provided directly by the National Museum of China and the Palace Museum in Beijing .
See also
- Chinatown in Nagasaki