If you like travelling, the Confucius Temple Area is an excellent place. The Confucius Temple, which is located in the south of Nanjing, was built in the Song Dynasty. It was once built to worship and offer sacrifices to Confucius. But is has become a replica of old local life and typical architecture in Ming and Qing styles because of its recent renovation and restoration. Accomplished with the secondary reconstructing project on the basis of its original scale in 1997, the dainty snacks street, Wang's and Xie's old residences in Wuyi Lane and the Oriental Art Courtyard have been restored to increase the cultural atmosphere in the temple area.

Former Residence of Wang's and Xie's at Wuyi (Black Clothes) Lane.

The place was the former army garrison of Wu Kingdom, which dates back to over 1,700 years ago. The soldiers wore black clothes at that time, hence the name, Wuyi Lane. In early East Jin Dynasty, Prime Minister Wang Dao lived here. Wuyi Lane gradually became the residence area for Wang's and Xie's (Xie An was also a high-ranking official during East Jin Dynasty). During the mid-Tang Dynasty, poet Liu Yuxi visited Wuyi Lane and sighed in his famous poem, "The swallows from the residence of wang's and Xie's are now entering the ordinary people's houses"(“旧时王谢堂前燕,飞入寻常百姓家”). The poem gives us a faint idea of the splendor of Wuyi Lane during the East Jin Dynasty. In 1997, the Qinhuai District People's Government renovated Wuyi Lane and Former Residence of Wang's and Xie's. It provides a wonderful place for tourists to understand the history of Nanjing during the six dynasties (Wu Kingdom, East Jin, Song, Qi, Liang and Chen dynasties, 229AD-589AD). Inside the residence there are many paintings, books and carvings of historic and artistic value.

Located on the Qinhuai River at the Confucius Temple Area, Nanjing Oriental Art Gallery is a building made of blue bricks and tiny tiles. Its graceful courtyard, secluded corridors, doors and windows with carvings and lattices reflect the style of Ming and Qing Dynasties. The art gallery was also called "Qifeng Gallery", since it was built by Zhu Qifeng, who lived in the period of the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty in Anhui Province. The gallery served as a place for the men in Zhu family to study for the imperial examination. This typical Anhui style building is the only one well preserved from Ming and Qing period at Confucius Temple area.

Key words:
文化氛围wénhuà fēnwéi: the cultural atmosphere
夫子庙fūzǐmiào: the Confucius Templ
王谢故居wánɡxiè ɡùjū: Wang's and Xie's old residences:
乌衣巷wūyī xiànɡ: Wuyi Lane
秦淮河qínhuái hé: the Qinhuai River
南京东方艺术院Nánjīnɡ dōnɡfānɡ yìshùyuàn: Nanjing Oriental Art Gallery