The mountainside Mazu sacred sedan entered the Tainan Confucius Temple today (10th), triggering controversy related to site management and traditional etiquette. The Tainan City Confucius Temple Cultural Foundation issued a statement in the evening saying that no application was made to the foundation in advance for this event, nor was there any communication or discussion. On the day, the sedan bearers and related personnel directly entered the Confucius Temple campus and even entered the sacred area of Dacheng Hall without asking colleagues at the ticket office for confirmation, which violated the traditional etiquette and site management principles of the Confucius Temple respecting Confucius and Chongli.
The full statement is as follows:
Tainan Confucius Temple is the first temple in Taiwan, carrying Taiwan's historical culture and ritual traditions of respecting Confucius and Confucianism. There is a dismounting monument outside the Dachengfang of the Confucius Temple, which shows the respect of the sages Confucius throughout the ages. According to the traditional etiquette, all civil and military officials should dismount their horses at this point to show their respect.
Regarding today’s entry of Mazu’s sacred sedan into the Tainan Confucius Temple on the mountainside, the Tainan City Confucius Temple Cultural Foundation would like to clarify that no application was made to the foundation in advance for this event, and no communication or discussion was conducted. On the day of the event, the sedan bearers and related personnel entered the Confucius Temple campus directly and even entered the sacred area of Dacheng Hall without checking with colleagues at the ticket office, which violated the Tainan Confucius Temple's traditional etiquette and site management principles of respecting Confucius and Chongli. The relevant process was not coordinated in advance, so the Confucius Temple was unable to explain the park entry regulations and etiquette requirements in advance.
The Tainan City Confucius Temple Cultural Foundation respects the religious traditions and folk culture of each temple, and also understands the local emotions and the hearts of believers carried by circumambulation activities. However, as the Tainan Confucius Temple is a sacred place for worshiping the most holy teacher, its space use and related rituals have regulations that should be followed. Based on the consideration of respecting the tradition of Confucius and maintaining the solemnity of the entire Confucius Temple Park, all types of temples, shrines, pilgrims, and related religious activities will not be allowed to enter the Tainan Confucius Temple Park in the future. We kindly ask for your understanding and support.
We hope that all walks of life will respect different beliefs and folk cultures, while also cherishing Tainan’s precious historical and cultural assets, so that traditional rituals and multiculturalism can continue through mutual understanding.
