09 Confucius temple

The temple of Confucius (北京孔庙, Běijīng Kǒngmiào in Chinese) is the second largest Confucian temple in China, after the one in the Confucius' hometown of Qufu. Originally named as Guo Zi Jian (the Imperial College), it was the place where the emperors offered sacrifices to Confucius. The construction of the temple started in 1302 during the Yuan dynasty and was completed in 1306. The temple has an area of 2.2 ha and contains three rows of houses and courtyards.