Relics of worship on display at Beijing temple

The Beijing Confucius Temple and the Imperial College boast complete and well-preserved cultural relics thanks to Zhou Enlai's order to protect them during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

Annual worship rituals are held at the Beijing Confucius Temple every year on Sept 28, the Chinese educator's birthday.

Wu came up with the concept for the exhibition after visiting the Confucius Temple in the sage's birthplace of Qufu, Shandong province. "Though their architecture is marvelous, I felt sad to find their collections are not that complete," he says. "Why not exhibit the treasures that are well-preserved in our storage, as we are one of the lucky Confucius temples that remains intact?"

Many cultural relics were destroyed in the anti-Confucius campaign during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). The Beijing Confucius Temple was spared after then-premier Zhou Enlai ordered it to be protected.

"I lived in this neighborhood at that time," says Li Chaoying, curator of the exhibition. "A wooden poster saying 'Everyone is forbidden from stepping into this crucial spot of cultural relics' was hung at the front gate. All of the things inside were thus saved.

"Confucius' spirit," Li adds, "flows in Chinese people's veins."