Qufu (曲阜)

Qufu is the town where Confucius (551-479 BC) was born. The city features many historic palaces, temples and cemeteries. The 3 most famous cultural sites in Qufu are collectively known as Sān Kǒng (三孔, the three Confucian [sites]). They are:

Kǒngmiào (孔庙, the Temple of Confucius)
Kǒnglín (孔林, the forest of Confucius)
Kǒngfǔ (孔府, Kong Family Home)

These 3 sites were inscribed into the UNESCO list of world heritage sites in 1994.

Sān Kǒng

After Confucius died around 479 BC, his home was consecrated as a temple. In 611, the temple was rebuilt and the original house was removed. In both 1012 and 1094, the temple was extended and remodeled again. By 1190, the design featured 3 sections with 4 courtyards surrounded by more than 400 rooms. In 1214, a fire largely destroyed the temple, but by 1302 it had been rebuilt to its former glory. In 1331, a protective wall was erected around the complex. In 1499, another fire destroyed it, after which it was rebuilt to its present scale.
Another fire in 1724, cause heavy damage, but 6 years later it has been repaired. During the Cultural Revolution in 1966, many sculptures inside the temple were destroyed. During its existance, the Temple of Confucius was renovated, or rebuilt 15 times, while there have been 31 major repairs.
Currently, the temple complex covers some 16,000 m² (170,000 sq ft) and it includes 460 rooms.
The main buildings are:

The Stele Pavilions.
The Kuiwen Hall was built in 1018. It was restored in 1504 and in 1985.
The Xìng Tán (杏坛, Apricot Platform) sits at the center of the courtyard in front of Dàchéng Diàn. It was built to commemorate Confucius teaching his students under an apricot tree.
The De Mu Tian Di Arch.
The Dàchéng Diàn (大成殿, Dacheng Hall) with its yellow tiles dates from the Qing Dynasty. It is the centerpiece of the temple complex and it is alsmost 32 m (105 ft) tall. It is also known as the Great Perfection Hall.
The Hall of Confucius' Wife.

The Temple of Confucius includes several impressive gateways, as well as various inscribed steles and tortoise tablets that record ancient events. Pines and cypresses grow around the temple, as well as a junipers that is said to have been planted by Confucius himself. Every year on 28 September, a ceremony is held to celebrate Confucius' birthday.

The Kǒnglín (孔林, Confucian Forest) is located in the north of Qufu. It is China's largest artificial park, as well as the country's best-preserved cemetery. The original tomb of Confucius was erected on the bank of the Sishui River and had the shape of an axe. At present, his tomb is a cone-shaped hill. Many of his descendants were buried around him and the cemetary currently includes more than 100,000 tombs.
During the Cultural Revolution, many tombs were damaged, some 100,000 volumes of classical texts were burned and countless irreplaceable artefacts were destroyed.
You can have a walk down the 'spirit way', through an area of ancient cypresses and through the Eternal Spring Archway, after which you'll reach the Tomb of the Great Sage.

The Kǒngfǔ (孔府, Kong Family Home) is the mansion, where the direct descendants of Confucius lived. They took care of the temple and the cemetary. The mansion is located to the east of the Temple of Confucius. The first mansion was built there in 1038 and it had a direct connection with the temple. In 1377, it was rebuilt in its current location. In 1503, it was expanded to consist of 3 rows of buildings with 560 rooms and 9 courtyards.
The mansion was renovated in 1838, but it was consumed by fire in 1887. Two years later, it was rebuilt and nowadays it comprises of 152 buildings with a total of 480 rooms.
The tallest construction on the site is the Bìnán Lóu (避难楼), which is a refuge tower, where the Kongs could shelter in case of danger. The last descendants of Confucius who lived in the mansion were the 76th and 77th generations. They had to flee in 1937, when the Japanese invaded. They first fled to Chongqing and later, during the Chinese Civil War, to Taiwan. The current descendants of Confucius still live in Taiwan.

There are several hotels and restaurants in Qufu. The town is near the revered Taoist mountain of Tài Shān and not far from the city of Tai'an, which has train and bus connections with the rest of China. Buses between Qufu and the Taishan run regularly. Qufu in the southwest of China's Shandong Province1. The city is 130 km (81 mi) south of the provincial capital of Jinan and 405 km southeast of Beijing.

Qufu (曲阜)

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