Overview

Qufu, home town of Confucius, is a city in southwest Shandong; it is about a two hour bus ride (135 km) to Jinan thecapital city of Shandong Province and is a famous historical city in China.

With a history of more than five thousand years, Qufu is the legendary birthplace of many Chinese sages such as Confucius, Mencius.

In order to memorialize these great sages, temples and cemeteries were constructed by the local people. Later, these temples and cemeteries were open to tourists as attractions. The most famous attractions are called the Three Kongs: Temple of Confucius (Kong Miao), Cemetery of Confucius (Kong Lin) and Kong Family Mansion (Kong Fu); they were listed in the World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1994 with a comment that said: "The Qufu complex of monuments has retained its outstanding artistic and historic character due to the devotion of successive Chinese emperors over more than 2,000 years."

If you are interested in Chinese culture and history, or if you want to search for the spirits and wisdom of ancient oriental sages, Qufu is a must-visit city.