As I have mentioned before, I had the pleasure of meeting Director Heylen, the primary advisor and liaison for our research, on the second day of my trip. On that day, Director Heylen told me about a cultural event that had been advertised on the radio: a two-day "World Youth Confucius Camp," undertaken by the Taipei City Government and Taipei Confucius Temple. It described itself as an opportunity to come to understand the Confucian culture with first-hand experiences and educational visits. Excited by the idea of the camp, as well as its price ($0), I registered online that same day. Now that I have experienced it, I can say with excitement: What great fortune I have had for this camp to coincide with my trip! I have learned today more about Confucianism and Chinese culture than I could have in one day by any other means. I look forward to attending the second day of the camp tomorrow.
The Confucius Temple of Taipei, located in the north-west center of the city, is the center for the dissemination of Confucian ideas in Taiwan. The current temple was completed in 1939, according to the classical style of traditional palaces in south China; its predecessor, which had been built in 1881, had been damaged in 1896 during the Japanese Occupation Period, and subsequently abandoned. Within the walls, Dacheng Hall and the Danchi (platform) provide the main venue for the memorial ceremony of Confucius, the Chongsheng Shrine is for worshipping the ancestors of Confucius and the four sages??, the East and West Side Buildings allow for worship of Confucius' disciples and other great Confucian sages and scholars, and Minglun Hall used to function as a classroom.
Our camp began at 8:30 with a tour of the Confucius Temple, during which we learned much of the information above. For the next activity, we were shown the basic elements of the art of Koji pottery, which is native to Taiwan, and involves cementing together chipped pieces of colored glass; and then everyone created their own flower-and-fruit ceramic! A lunch of beef noodles at a local restaurant followed (free of charge, of course), during which I had the opportunity to talk more to the young Westerners who are currently studying Chinese in Taiwan.
What followed lunch and the morning activities was nothing other than–recess! A professional Taiwanese jump-roper taught the basics of the Chinese yo-yo and spinning top. The yo-yo, shaped like a skinny-necked hourglass, spins on a string strung between two sticks, one held in each hand. By manipulating the sticks in various ways, you cause the yo-yo to spin fast on the string, and then you can attempt tricks, such as tossing it up into the air and then catching it on the string. After our exercise in the Taipei humidity and heat, we had tea as a refreshment.
During the mid-afternoon, a university professor gave a lecture on the ancient Confucian ceremonies and their continuing modern manifestation. The basic course of events of a ceremony is as follows: resonant drum rolls open the ceremony; the ceremonial gates are opened, the remnants of the sacrificial animals are buried in the ground (in order to compensate the Earth for that which was taken from it); spiritual music is performed; the participants bow three times (out of reverence for Confucius); the sacrificial feast of various foods is presented (in order to please the spirits); various presentations of music and dance are made; a blessing is chanted; offerings of libations are made; the Principal Presentation Officer consumes the sacrificial meat and wine; Confucius' spirit is escorted away; the prayer inscriptions are incinerated; and the gates are closed.
We expressed gratitude to our teacher in the traditional Confucian way, and received from him gifts in return. Afterwards, we travelled to the fourth-floor dining room of a restaurant for dinner. The final event of the night, held in the same large room, was a presentation of skits about the life of Confucius. My group's skit attempted to portray Confucius' famous willingness to accept students from noble and poor families alike into his school, and not to charge high tuition. Between the four skits, all of us had a good laugh, and perhaps also saw something that will help us remember a part of Confucius' teachings and character. Our camp continues tomorrow.
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