National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | UNESCO World Heritage (cultural, 1994) AAAAA tourist attraction |
| Province | Shandong |
| Location | Qufu, Shandong |
| Latitude, longitude | 35.6, 117.0 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Holy place of Confucianism |
| Top sights | The Temple of Confucius |
| Area | 2 km² |
| Nearby cities | Mount Tai (Taishan), Jinan, Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing |
| Nearby sites | Mount Tai (Taishan), Thousand Buddha Mountain, Boshan, Qingzhou, Mount Yuntai, Lianyungang |
| Themes | Culture & history, Temples, Palaces, Inscriptions, Architecture, Historic buildings, Tombs |
About
The Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius, together called the “Three Kongs”, are in the city of Qufu in south-west Shandong. They were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994.
Confucius
Confucius (551–479 BC), personal name Kong Qiu, courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of the state of Lu, today’s Qufu. An educator and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period, he founded the Confucian school; his thought shaped China for more than two thousand years and he was honoured as the teacher of all ages.
The Temple of Confucius
The temple stands inside the city. After Confucius died, Duke Ai of Lu turned his house into a shrine, and emperors of successive dynasties enlarged it. It now covers 200,000 m² with nine courtyards and 466 buildings, including the Dacheng Hall, the Apricot Altar and the Kuiwen Pavilion.
The Dacheng Hall, the main hall, is 32 m high and 54 m wide, with a double-eaved hip roof of yellow tiles and 28 stone columns carved with dragons; it is counted among the three great ancient halls of China. The Apricot Altar is said to be where Confucius taught; beside it is an ancient juniper, “planted by the Master’s own hand”.
The temple has 54 gateways and 13 imperial stele pavilions and a great collection of inscriptions, second only to the Forest of Steles in Xi’an.
The Kong Family Mansion
The mansion adjoins the temple on the east and was the hereditary residence of the Duke Yansheng, the senior descendant of Confucius in the direct line. It covers 160,000 m² with more than 400 rooms and holds a large collection of relics.
It is laid out in three axes: the east is the family temple, the west the study. On the central axis the front is the official yamen and the rear the private quarters and garden. The great hall was the duke’s court.
The Cemetery of Confucius
The cemetery, also called the Forest of the Supreme Sage, lies outside the north gate of the city and is the family burial ground of Confucius and his descendants, about 2 km². Its wall is 5.6 km long, 3 m high and 1 m thick. Inside are more than 100,000 graves, over 10,000 old trees and many ornamental columns, stone figures and animals.
Travel information
The spring sacrifice to Confucius is held at the temple every year at the Qingming festival.