Confucius Temple & Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall).

📍Address: Dingzhou Ancient City 🚗Transportation: Walk across from the museum 👍️Must-see: Confucius Temple & Gongyuan 🎟️Tickets: Confucius Temple CNY 10, Gongyuan CNY 20 💗Other tips: Chongwen Street in Dingzhou Ancient City is full of snacks from the north and south, and children's games. Chongwen Street is a street for eating, playing, and shopping. Stroll to the Gongyuan. The Kuixing Pavilion in the middle has a vermilion brush pointing to the Gongsheng in the courtyard, symbolizing the top scorer in the courtyard. (A bit of a tongue twister) The roof of the examination hall (also called the examination shed) is a highlight, with a central spire and layers that gradually descend, ensuring ventilation in the examination shed, as it is a venue for hundreds of people. (This is a well-preserved examination shed in the north) In addition to the civil examination, there is also a military examination, including horseback archery and foot archery. There are also stone locks of different sizes for visitors to experience the military examination. The "stone" in "bow, knife, and stone" refers to the stone lock, which originated in the Tang dynasty and flourished in the Qing dynasty. Some people still practice with stone locks in the park, which requires strength, eyesight, and skill. Walk along Chongwen Street, and you will reach the Confucius Temple outside the ancient city. It is small, much smaller than the Imperial College, and the incense in the Dacheng Hall slowly releases smoke. You can play pitch-pot in the courtyard of the side hall. 🏹