Suzhou's lesser-known museums are home to national treasures.

On a weekend trip to Suzhou, I visited a lesser-known and free Confucian Temple, a sacred place of millennia-old culture and a stele museum. The Suzhou Confucian Temple displays precious inscriptions by famous people from different dynasties and important steles reflecting Suzhou's history, each carrying a rich history and culture. 👉The Confucian Temple is dedicated to Confucius. Visiting this place to feel the millennia-old culture and pay homage to the teacher of all sages is meaningful for everyone. 🌈Highlights: The four Song Dynasty steles cover a wide range of topics from different historical periods, each embodying the wisdom of the ancients and worth seeing👀 The exhibition hall displays the "Astronomical Map," "Geographical Map," "Emperor's Map," and "Pingjiang Map" steles, corresponding to the sky, earth, people, and city, respectively. 🗺️The "Pingjiang Map," the world's oldest stone-carved city map, bears witness to Suzhou's prosperity and changes through its crisscrossing streets and rivers. ✨Minglun Hall on the west side of the main hall Mainly set up in memory of Fan Zhongyan, it showcases the flourishing literary culture of Suzhou since the Ming and Qing dynasties✨ In front of Minglun Hall, several geese sing to the sky, and the pool reflects the ancient architecture, creating a peaceful and beautiful scene😊 ✨"Lian Shi" Cultural Exhibition Hall on the south side Set up in memory of the filial and honest official Lu Ji, it reminds people of his integrity and uprightness. 📚The Deshan Academy in the Confucian Temple houses the Suzhou Library's Guoxue Branch, which contains a large collection of Guoxue books. The library is small, so it's a good place to rest and read📖 after a tiring walk outside🙂 🏠: Suzhou Confucian Temple 🎫: Free🆓 ⏰: Closed on Mondays, open 9:00 am–4:30 pm on other days 🚗: You can park at the Workers' Cultural Palace across the street