15. 孔庙
Located inside the south gate of Qufu, Shandong, the Temple of Confucius is a large complex of temple buildings in oriental style in memory of Confucius, China's great thinker and educator. The importance of Confucianism created by Confucius in maintaining the social ruling stability made ancient emperors put a high value on the Temple of Confucius. In ancient times sacrifices were often offered to Confucius, either by Emperors themselves, or by emperor-appointed high officials. The scale of offering sacrifices to Confucius was as grand as that given to the Heaven. This gives us an idea of the importance of Confucius in history.
孔庙（Temple of Confucius）坐落于山东省曲阜市南门内，是纪念我国伟大思想家、教育家孔子的祠庙建筑（temple building），也是一组具有东方风格的大型建筑群。由于孔子创立的儒家思想（Confucianism）对于维护社会统治安定所起到的重要作用，孔庙便被古代帝王所器重。在古代经常举办祭孔典礼，或者是由皇帝自己，或者是由皇帝委任的高级官员。祭孔的规模和祭天一样宏大。由此，孔子在历史上的重要地位便可见一斑。
