Attractions
Qufu is native place of Confucius (551 - 479 BCE), a celebrated thinker and educator and the father of Confucianism. He was known as Kong Fuzi (Kong Qiu or Kong Zi) to Chinese. Due to the adoption of Confucian ethics (respect, obedience, and selflessness) to maintain order of society in the various dynasties in ancient times, Confucius was held in high esteem and the Kong family acquired that status of "guardian angels". As a result, the Confucian temple, mansion and graveyard were built in Qufu.
Confucian Temple
Confucian Temple, the former residence of Confucius, is the place for ancient emperors to offer sacrificial services to Confucius. Located in the center of Qufu City, the temple was originally built as early as in 478BC, one year after Confucius death. In the following dynasties, it was rebuilt and expanded many times. The present one was renovated on the basis of that from Ming Dynasty. The temple was built according to the specification for imperial palaces; it is one of the three ancient building complexes in our country and holds an important position even in the world. It covers an area of 50 acres. Inside of this complex, there are 9 yards, each among which has its own characters. Among them the Dacheng Palace and the Kuiwen Cabinet are its main buildings. Dacheng Palace is the main body of Confucius temple and is where libations and sacrifices are offered to Confucius. There are 10 poles made of marble in its front porch. Each pole has two carved flying dragons playing a big pearl. In the front of this Palace, there is a pavilion, named "Xing Chan", where Confucius used to teach in his old days. The structure of Kuiwen Cabinet is 3-layer timberwork, which is rare in our county. In Confucius temple, there is a statue of Confucius, 13 stele pavilions, 53 huge steles and 120 "Shengjitu", on which records Confucius' life experience. There are over 2,100 steles including 800-plus steles displayed outside and 1,200 existing ones, forming a Forest of Steles.
Confucius mansion
Confucius mansion, also named Shengfu, was the residence for Confucian descendants. It is the largest and grandest feudal noble mansion preserved to this day in China. The mansion arranged in three parts has 9 courtyards, 463 halls, towers, and verandas, which covers a total area of 16 hectares. In the front part lies the official buildings and the residence is in the middle part with the garden in the back part. After the death of Confucius, his decedents have always been living next to the Confucius Temple. An official building was established in Song Dynasty, and in Ming Dynasty, the Mansion of Duke of Yansheng was built. After many times of rebuilding and expansion, it has turned into a typical feudal noble mansion combining official buildings with a residence.
Confucius Cemetery
Located in the north of Qufu, the Confucian Cemetery is the graveyard of Confucius and his decedents. It's the largest, oldest, and best-preserved single-family cemetery in China. There are 100 thousand tombs since the Zhou Dynasty (1066-221BC) on, the forests of stone steles and 400 tombstones in the cemetery. The Confucian Cemetery is also a botanical garden, as there are over 42,000 trees in it, and the planting of trees in it started 2,400 years ago. After Confucius death in 479BC, most of his descendants and clansmen were buried in the cemetery, so it has been expanding ever since. At present, the wall boarder of the cemetery extends about 5,591 meters, and the cemetery itself covers an area of 183.33 hectares.
Qufu Pictures 
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