Editing Confucius (section)

===Memorials===
[[File:First Entrance Gate of the Temple of Confucius, Ching-hai.jpg|thumb|First entrance gate of the [[Temple of Confucius]] in [[Zhenhai]]]]
[[File:20130918-嘉定孔庙-2.jpg|thumb|The [[Temple of Confucius]] in [[Jiading District|Jiading]], now a suburb of Shanghai. The Jiading Temple of Confucius now operates a museum devoted to the [[imperial exam]] formerly administered at the temples.]]

Soon after Confucius's death, [[Qufu]], his home town, became a place of devotion and remembrance. The [[Han dynasty]] ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'' records that it had already become a place of pilgrimage for ministers. It is still a major destination for cultural tourism, and many people visit his grave and the surrounding temples. There are also numerous [[Temple of Confucius|temples]] dedicated to Confucius and distinguished Confucian scholars. These temples have been used for ceremonies paying tribute to Confucius as a revered Master, honoring his guiding principles that have shaped Chinese society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=文庙祭祀的文化意义 - 孔庙 |trans-title=The cultural connotation of ceremonies at Confucian Temples |url=http://www.chinakongmiao.org/templates/T_CatalogList/index.aspx?nodeid=149&page=ContentPage&contentid=9308 |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=www.chinakongmiao.org}}</ref>

Followers of Confucianism have a tradition of holding spectacular memorial ceremonies of Confucius ({{lang|zh|祭孔}}) every year, using ceremonies that supposedly derived from Zhou Li ({{lang|zh|周禮}}) as recorded by Confucius, on the date of Confucius's birth. In the 20th century, this tradition was interrupted for several decades in mainland China, where the official stance of the Communist Party and the State was that Confucius and Confucianism represented reactionary [[Feudalism|feudalist]] beliefs which held that the subservience of the people to the [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocracy]] is a part of the natural order. All such ceremonies and rites were therefore banned. Only after the 1990s did the ceremony resume. As it is now considered a veneration of Chinese history and tradition, even Communist Party members may be found in attendance.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

In Taiwan, where the Nationalist Party ([[Kuomintang]]) strongly promoted Confucian beliefs in ethics and behavior, the tradition of the memorial ceremony of Confucius ({{lang|zh|祭孔}}) is supported by the government and has continued without interruption. While not a national holiday, it does appear on all printed calendars, much as [[Father's Day]] or Christmas Day do in the Western world.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

In [[South Korea]], a grand-scale memorial ceremony called [[Seokjeon Daeje]] is held twice a year on Confucius's birthday and the anniversary of his death, at [[Hyanggyo|Confucian academies]] across the country and [[Sungkyunkwan]] in Seoul.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dunbar|first1=Jon|title=Sungkyunkwan Confucian Ceremony|url=http://www.raskb.com/content/confirmed-pls-pay-upon-registration-sungkyunkwan-confucian-ceremony|website=RASKB|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch|accessdate=8 April 2015|archive-date=18 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418040456/http://www.raskb.com/content/confirmed-pls-pay-upon-registration-sungkyunkwan-confucian-ceremony|url-status=dead}}</ref>