My friend Ren, a professor and also a faithful believer in Confucianism, has been a little depressed recently. His students who visited the Confucius Temple in Beijing on September 24, the traditional date of the sage’s birthday, had to pay 30 yuan ($4.7) as an admission fee.

“They are not too poor to pay the money, but felt their faith in the sage was insulted,” he said.

For a poor student, 30 yuan is a decent amount of money. And admissions fees are climbing in Confucian temples throughout the country. The fee in Beijing has climbed by 10 yuan last year, while Confucius’ birthplace, Qufu, Shandong Province, now charges 90 yuan, up from 60 a year ago. So faithful adherents are being turned away because they can’t afford their worship.

As a sign of respect for tradition, it’s time we opened Confucian temples to the public for free. Historical opinions on Confucius vary, but within Chinese popular culture, he is undoubtedly a revered sage, and that tradition should be honored.

Only two years after his death, people had already built a temple in Qufu to worship him. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) required all local administrations to build Confucian temples, and the temples were merged with schools in the Song Dynasty (960-1127).

By the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), over 1,500 Confucian temples had been established throughout the country. As locations to make offerings to Confucius and centers of education, the temples are symbols of the consistency of Chinese culture, and are the collective reflection of part of the Chinese spirit.

Unfortunately, most of the Confucian temples were destroyed in war or in the anti-Confucian campaigns in the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), and only around 300 survive in a decent state today, including 21 listed as?important heritage sites under state protection.

More importantly, many temples have now lost the functions of ceremonies and education, and are either not operating at all, or have been developed as tourist attractions and charge high prices.

The Confucian temples are severely secularized and commercialized, reflecting a materialistic society with little sense of worship.

In contrast, the cultural functions of Confucian temples in Taiwan work well. In Taiwan, the official ceremonies for Confucius and lectures on Confucianism are held annually.

In addition, the Confucian temples in Taipei and Kaohsiung are free for visitors. It’s no wonder that people in Taiwan always describe themselves as the legitimate successors and leaders of Confucianism.

Moreover, South Korea, Vietnam and Japan, all culturally influenced by Confucianism, also open their temples for free. In Seoul, ceremonies to Confucius are held in the second and eighth month of the lunar calendar. At Sung Kyun Kwan University, a professor told me that the ceremony held by the university is much authentic than in Taiwan, let alone Chinese mainland.

It’s no wonder that many Western scholars regard South Korea as a “living fossil of Confucianism.”

China’s economy and global influence is developing rapidly. However, people’s spiritual desire and cultural demands are not satisfied.

Like my friend Ren, many people have voluntarily started to visit the temples and make offerings to Confucius in them. More people regard Confucian temples as an option for emotional and spiritual sustenance.

To hold onto our cultural lifeline and rebuild our spiritual heritage, we need to open up the temples for free and gradually hand them over to Confuican organizations for use and management. A booming China doesn’t need the paltry amounts from the entrance fees.

The author is a visiting scholar in the US. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn