Discovering Confucius' legacy through travel
Nanjing was another city where I experienced elements of Confucian heritage. Nanjing, whose name literally means "Southern Capital", had an active temple in what is today the Fuzimiao tourist district on the north bank of the Qinhuai River. That temple dates from 1034, though the current structure was built in the 19th century. When I first visited in 1996 it was a quiet area, but what I wanted to see were the exam booths. Stories abound of students confined into cramped spaces, spending considerable time trying to achieve the highest possible grade. That was many years ago, but when I came to China in 1992 to work within the higher education sector of Guangdong, I personally witnessed students studying for many hours. I still see elements of this in the modern bookstores opening across China.
"It is human heartedness that constitutes the excellence of a neighborhood," Confucius said. I have always felt that it is the people who make a city, something I certainly feel about Tianjin. I recently delighted in exploring its Confucian Temple. One of the oldest buildings in Tianjin, it is also the largest traditional architectural structure in the city. It has survived since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) largely intact. Almost palace-like in design, it features decorative archways, goldfish ponds and ancestral halls where students would pray for success in their academic studies.
It is only a short distance along the Haihe River from that temple to the Shangri-La Hotel. There I found the recent cultural performances centering around Confucius quite stimulating. Watching the rituals unfold had me thinking again of China, of no matter how long we stay here there is always something new to discover. There is so much to revisit to gradually put together a picture of what I feel constitutes China, including its fascinating Confucian heritage.
