Time Capsule of Old Beijing

Shady Chengxian (Guozijian) Street, south of Andingmen in Dongcheng District, rates as one of the city's virtual handful of truly well-main tained old thoroughfares. Starting about 700 years ago, the east-west roadway and its structures were built in keeping with ancient Chinese customs which dictated that, if one is traveling from the west, the Confucius Temple should be on the left of the street, and a college--in this instance Guozijian (Imperial College)--on the right. Over the centuries, the area became one of China's most important humanist centers.

The stree's four decorated archways, old Chinese "scholar" trees, ancient dwellings and shady surroundings largely reflect the Old Beijing so dear to today's elderly residents. Two of the archways, on the east and west of the street, bear the writings of Cheng Xian Jie, after whom the street was named. The other two are at the Guozijian Gate.

A stroll along Chengxian is still by and large a step back in time; visually pleasing through the sheer age of its architecture. One may also come across people taking a course in Sinology, or you might catch a performance by the amateur Nachuan Peking Opera Institute (see below).

Esteemed College

Guozijian College was first constructed in the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) and dedicated to the "worshipful study" of the classics of Chinese historical tradition. Its true genesis, however, was in the Han Dynasty, with the opening of the "Taixue" (imperial university) as the country's highest state educational institute. Its name was changed to Guozijian in the Sui Dynasty. During the Tang and Song periods, Taixue was absorbed by Guozijian--which during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties was the country's top educational facility.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), this was also where emperors frequently read Confucian classics to thousands of students. Today, Guozijian is a museum to what was Beijing's top national institution of higher learning, the last remaining bricks and mortar of an ancient state-run university.

Set amid beautiful scenery, Guozijian has two arbors, with Taixuemen located to the north. The Piyong, where emperors gave lectures, was completed in 1784. Qianlong, Daoguang and Xianfeng were among emperors who passed their knowledge to students, and it's said that Qianlong personally supervised all such instruction. On one occasion, more than 3,000 students and other people attended a lecture.

Guozijian's students did a three- or four-year course. On graduation, they could go directly to different levels of government institutions for employment, or opt to sit for the national imperial examination and, if successful, become jinshi (metropolitan graduates). This led to their appointment to official posts by the emperor.

As western educational systems and culture were introduced to China, the Qing government abolished the system of imperial examinations, closed Guozijian and, in 1905, established the Education Ministry. Guozijian's proud history came to an end.

Confucius Temple

To the east of Guozijian is the Confucius Temple, an important link to historic Guozijian College. Historically, all state schools had such a temple, always built at the appropriate geographical location under ancient rules.

Confucius was China's greatest thinker and educator of ancient times, and remains as familiar a revered sage to the Chinese as he was in his own lifetime. Confuciun temples can be found all over the country, the best-known including those in Qufu (Confucius' home town), Shangdong and the one in Beijing's Chengxian Street. It was here that emperors of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties held many state sacrificial rituals.

Its construction began in 1302 and was completed four years later, coinciding with the start of construction of Guozijian to its west. Centered on its Dacheng Hall, the temple has three rows of compounds with symmetrical layouts on a north-south axis. Two stone tablets, about four meters high and one meter wide, stand near the east and west main entrances to the temple. Both sides of the tablets are engraved with characters in six languages, instructing that "all officials must dismount from horseback at this place". Even the emperor himself had to leave his carriage and walk to his destination, thereby acknowledging the supreme status of Confucius.

The temple's main entrance, former Lingxing Gate, was also known as "Tiantian Star Gate" and the star seen as an omen for the successful recruitment of learned scholars. In ancient times, when an emperor worshipped the heavens, he would first pay respects to this star. The main entrance was re-named Xianshi Gate after its reconstruction in 1768 during the reign of Qianlong. Xianshi means the past instructor, a reference to Confucius.

The temple has 198 stone tablets recording the names of 51,624 jinshi during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, also listing their birthplace and rank. Names still familiar today abound, including Ming scientist Xu Guangqi; the Qing's minister of personnel, Liu Yong; a grand minister of state, Weng Tonghe; and thinker and writer Gong Zizhen.

Along the pathway to the main temple, Dacheng Hall, are 11 pavilions housing further stone tablets which record significant historical events during the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially wars during the reigns of Qing emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. There are three further pavilions in the front courtyard.

In the south-western corner of the central courtyard is a special burner for silks bearing elegiac addresses, and other sacrificial offerings. Ancient Chinese believed that only after sacrificial burning could Confucius receive their offerings. Sacrificial vessels, utensils and musical instruments, used during ceremonies and daily worship, were mostly made in the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong.

This year is the 700th anniversary of the temple, so a series of activities will be held over the next four months. These will include: China's Confucius Temple Academic Symposium; the World Confucius Temple Photographic Exhibition; and a Grand Memorial Ceremony to Honor Confucius.

Yonghegong Lamasery

To the east of Chenxian Street is Yonghegong Lamasery, Beijing's largest Buddhist temple whose architecture embraces Yuan to late Qing because its grounds were constantly being enhanced and new shrines and buildings being added. The styles of the Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan nationalities exist side by side, offering visitors an exceptional harmony of red walls, blue and gold ornamentation and yellow roof tiles. The intricacy of decorations is impressive, but the temple is more renowned for its "three matchless treasures"--an 18 meter tall sandalwood Maitreya Buddha statue sculpted from a single tree; a niche of Buddha carved from nanmu wood; and the "mountain of 500 arhats" made from precious stones and metals.

Lamasery Devotions:

Morning Prayer: 5am-7am every day.

Incense Offering: 1st and 15th day of each lunar month.

Birth of Buddha Commemoration: April 15 under the lunar calendar.

Birth of The Great Master Tsong-kha-pa: Oct. 25th in the lunar calendar

Group Prayer: Every Spring Festival.

Smon-lam chen-mo: Jan. 23-Feb 1 under the lunar calendar.