Confucian Day Ceremony to Take Place September 28
Exhibition period：September 28, 2019
Venue：Taipei Confucius Temple
In celebration of the 2569th birthday of the Great Teacher, the Confucius Day Commemoration Ceremony will take place at the Confucius temple on September 28 this year.
The event is an important ritual for Chinese culture, though maintaining the tradition in a rapidly changing society has proven quite challenging. To bring citizens closer to the ceremony itself and to raise awareness about the preservation of cultural traditions, the Taipei Confucius Temple has participated in the creation of a documentary tracking the experience of ritual musician students from Chongqing Junior High School. The institution hopes that the images will provide a record for the public and future generation of ritual musicians. The temple also invited celebrity composer and singer Haor to the press event to share his experience on music writing and performances with students.
The documentary Le Sheng, Sheng Nian spotlights the students from Chongqing Junior High School who serve as ritual musicians of the Confucius Day commemoration ceremony in 2018 and 2019, as well as Ritual Music Director Sun Ruei-jin. Honored with a nomination at the First China Music Ethnographic Film Exhibition in Shanghai in August, the work is filmed by director Chuang Min-tzu, an alumni of the Graduate Institute of Ethnomusicology at National Taiwan Normal University.
Le Sheng, Sheng Nian captures the rigorous process the students have to undergo to ready themselves for the performance over a year’s time – from their first contact with unfamiliar instruments to maintaining their stance while playing, even under brutal weather conditions. The story depicted is one characterized by determination, discipline and teamwork, as well as the development of their mind and spirit.
According to Sun, on the day of the ceremony, the students will have to maintain their posture for two hours in the blazing heat through sheer will and stamina. Described by some of the students as “standing on a fry pan,” the training often involves repeated practices during summer vacation – meaning standing and playing music for an hour or two during each session. In addition, the efforts to recruit ritual musicians also faces challenges such as declining student population and competition from college entrance exam preparations. Hidden behind the scenes of majestic Confucian rituals is the excruciating journey of how teacher and students work together to piece together a performance from scratch, making it possible through determination and training.
The film will be aired on Saturday, September 28 at the 4D Theater of Taipei Confucius Temple. Members of the public are invited to come and watch the incredible documentary.
With the 2569th Confucius Day Commemoration Ceremony taking place at 6 AM on Saturday, September 28 at the Taipei Confucius Temple, the organizers will be giving away tickets starting 9 AM on September 12. A total of 200 tickets will be handed out for each of the following event, free of charge: the Confucius Day Commemoration Practice on September 27 and the Confucius Day Commemoration Ceremony on September 28. Each individual is limited to two tickets maximum, so pick them up while supplies last!
Practice/Commemoration Ceremony Tickets Availability
For Individuals: Tickets will be available on Thursday, September 12. Please visit the first floor classroom near Minglun Hall at Taipei Confucius Temple between 9 AM and 5 PM. A total of 200 tickets will be given away for the Commemoration Practice (Sept. 27) and 200 tickets for the Commemoration Ceremony (Sept. 28). Each individual is limited to a maximum of 2 tickets.
For Group Visitors: Tickets will be available between Monday, September 16 and Wednesday, September 18. Groups should consists of 5 individuals or more (schools, institutions, juristic persons). Tickets can be requested via letter, fax, or email. The applicant should include a list of members planning to attend the event. A total of 100 tickets for the Commemoration Practice and 100 tickets for the Commemoration Ceremony will be given away.
Acquiring Tickets at the Door: A limited number of tickets will be available for pickup at the service desk at the Hong Gate:
Ceremony Details and Reminders
The admission time for the Commemoration Practice on September 27 is between 8:20 AM and 9 AM.
The admission time for the Commemoration Ceremony on September 28 is between 5:20 AM and 6 AM.
Kids under the age of 10 will not be admitted.
Attendees should dress appropriately and remain quiet. No one will be admitted while the ceremony is being conducted. No smoking or drinking is permitted. Do not touch any tools or offerings used for the ritual.
To show respect to the Great Teacher, no seats will be available at the venue (elders and those unable to stand for long periods of time should not attend).
The event will be postponed to a later date in the case of typhoon or other natural disaster leading to the work and classes suspension announcement by the city government. Further information will be posted at the website of Taipei Confucius Temple.
![Taiwan.gov.tw [ open a new window]](/images/egov.png)
