MuseumNanluoguxiang, the Lama Temple & the Eastern Hutongs
CONFUCIUS TEMPLE AND IMPERIAL COLLEGE (GUOZIJIAN) · KONGMIAO HE GUOZIJIAN
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VERIFIED2026.09.11Nanluoguxiang, the Lama Temple & the Eastern Hutongs · 39.945°N 116.408°E
TicketedClosure day
Two walled compounds side by side on Guozijian Street, 300 m from the Lama Temple and a tenth as crowded: the Confucius Temple (1302) with 198 stone tablets naming every successful candidate of the Yuan, Ming and Qing civil-service exams (51,624 names), and the Imperial College (1287), the empire's top school for three dynasties, where the Biyong hall sits in a square moat so the emperor could lecture from the centre. One ¥30 ticket covers both; tickets are sold three days ahead on WeChat, and also at the door and through a scan-to-pay code. The museum closes Mondays (Tuesdays in summer 2026) and lets over-60s and under-18s in free on a Chinese ID or a permanent-residence card — an ordinary passport pays.
EntranceLine 2 / Line 5 Yonghegong station, then 300 m west along Guozijian St under the glazed archways; the Confucius Temple gate is first, the Imperial College gate next door
Last verified 2026-09-11
How to book
Museum WeChat official account '票务服务' for the next 3 days (dates refresh at 19:00), or scan-to-pay and a staffed window on the day; one ticket per ID per day; sales stop 16:30Verified · 2026-09Source ↗
ID details
No ID for on-site tickets; ordinary passports do not qualify for free entry. Buying: the window and the on-site scan code sell without real-name details — 'one ticket per ID number per day' applies to WeChat sales, where each phone number can add up to 50 people. Free entry: the 60+ / under-18 exemptions cover Chinese citizens, HK / Macau / Taiwan residents and holders of a foreign permanent-residence card only; an ordinary passport does not qualify and pays ¥30 (official guide)
Beat the crowds
Rarely crowded; the busiest days are the gaokao season (June) when parents come to touch the tablets, and Wednesdays, when the 200 free places bring a queue.
Language
Bilingual labels in both compounds and on the tablet forest; the museum site has an English version. Guided tours are booked by phone (Chinese).