Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius (Qufu)

UNESCO World Heritage Site (1994); National 5A Tourist Attraction · Qufu, Shandong

The hometown of Confucius and the heart of the tradition that shaped Chinese government, family life and education for more than two thousand years. In the walled town of Qufu in Shandong, three linked sites form a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Temple of Confucius, first founded the year after the philosopher's death in 479 BCE and rebuilt by dynasty after dynasty, is now one of the largest classical building complexes in China, a procession of gates, stele pavilions and courtyards leading to the yellow-roofed Hall of Great Achievement, whose front columns are carved with coiling dragons. Next door, the Kong Family Mansion was home to Confucius's direct descendants, the Dukes Yansheng, who lived here in aristocratic style for centuries. North of town, the Cemetery of Confucius is a vast walled forest of ancient trees and tens of thousands of graves of the Kong clan, with the sage's own tomb at its heart. Every year on September 28 a grand ceremony marks Confucius's birthday.

Temple of Confucius, Queli Street, Qufu, Qufu, Shandong, China

Daily, roughly 8:00-17:30 in summer and 8:00-17:00 in winter, with last entry earlier; hours vary slightly between the Temple, Mansion and Cemetery. Special arrangements around the September 28 ceremony.

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