The Confucius Temple and Guozijian (the Imperial College) in Beijing were first built during the Yuan Dynasty, and followed the ancient architectural rule ''temple on the left and school on the right.'' The Confucius Temple served as an altar at which honor could be paid to Confucius by intellectuals and members of the Imperial court. Guozijian, just to the west of the Confucius Temple, was an academy for Confucian studies and for preparation for the Imperial examinations.
The site now serves as a museum exhibiting engraved stones, old Chinese doorbells and drums, bronze and jade utensils, paintings and calligraphic works, antique musical instruments and ancient Chinese currency. Every September, a ritual celebrating Confucius's birthday takes place here, in which a music and dance ceremony from the Qing dynasty is performed.
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