Ta Cheng Hall

The Confucius Ancestral Tablet is placed in the main hall of the Confucius Temple. At the front of the hall is a projecting terrace called the "Moon Terrace" or "Tan Hsi." This is where the ceremonial instruments are installed and the Eight-row Dance is performed.

Gazing upwards at the rafters of the Ta Cheng Hall, one is captivated by the seven-tier pagoda, popularly believed to ward off evil, and the two bamboo "tung tien" tubes at each end are said to protect the classics.

Upon entering the Ta Cheng Hall, one sees, in addition to the central Confucian Ancestral Tablet, the alter of the "Four Sages" and "Twelve Philosophers" on the left and right walls respectively. Also inside the hall is an eight-cornered coffered ceiling with 24 stakes projecting unbroken to the center of the roof, forming a spider web pattern. The hall contains four bats, one in each corner, since the Chinese for the saying "four bats" rhymes with the Chinese for "blessing."