Qufu

It is a thematic museum of social science celebrities dedicated to Confucius and Confucian culture, integrating history, art, and interactive technology. It houses a rich collection of artifacts, making it an excellent place for cultural enthusiasts and families. Notable exhibits include the Warring States Period Jade Horse, the Gold and Silver Inlaid Ape Shaped Belt Hook, and a set of Ten Shang and Zhou Dynasty Ritual Vessels bestowed by Emperor Qianlong. (updated Dec 2024)

A row of gates and pavilions, and twenty-five stone turtles (bixi) holding tablets on which numerous emperors expressed their respect to the sage, in Chinese, Manchu, and Mongol (written in Phags-Pa script)

The principal hall of the temple. It was built as a five-bay structure during the Yuan Dynasty, and rebuilt in 1507 into its current form, a seven-bay-wide hall with a double-eaved roof.

A temple dedicated to the Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan), a revered statesman and thinker of the early Western Zhou Dynasty. The Qufu Zhougong Temple is one of the three most notable such temples in China, alongside those in Luoyang and Baoji.

The Cemetery of Confucius, or "Confucius Forest", is a cemetery where Confucius and more than 70 generations of his descendants have been buried. Besides the tomb of Confucius, it contains a number of interesting sculptural ensembles from the Ming and Qing eras, decorating the tomb sites of Confucius' descendants who were the area's feudal rulers, as well as other dignitaries. A typical ensemble (神道 "shéndào", or "spirit road") for a Duke of Yansheng (the senior-line descendant of Confucius in his generation, and the lord of Qufu) would start with a stone arch and contain a few stone animal statues (horses, rams, felines), a pair of human characters (a warrior and an official), and a stone turtle (赑屃 bìxì) holding a stele praising the deceased. The path leads to the grave tumulus with another (turtle-less) stele on top. Go to the Confucian cemetery towards the end of the day (maybe at 4) and then stroll around until the tour groups are leaving, and you will have the forest all to yourself. Walk to Confucius grave and share some silent moments across 2,500 years with him. A treat if you have been travelling around China for a while and are tired of hordes of people and noise. You can easily walk to the main (southern) gate of the Confucius Forest from Qufu's walled city. A wide tree-lined avenue, about a kilometer long, connects it with the northern gate of the city wall.

A stone structure, 22.71 meters long and 7.96 meters wide, rebuilt and reinforced during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. This archway is a six-pillar, five-bay, five-story structure with a hip roof. The roof is decorated with carved tiles and ridge beasts, and the eaves are adorned with carved brackets. The lintel, pillars, and decorative panels are covered with exquisite carvings, with deep relief on the pillars and archway and shallow relief on the decorative panels.

The main ceremonial archway at the southern entrance to the cemetery was built in 1424. This four-pillar, three-bay wooden archway with a green glazed tile roof retains distinct early Ming architectural features and marks the symbolic entrance to the sacred forest.

Located north of the Zhishenglin Archway, this castle-like gate is also known as the "Viewing Tower". It stands on the site of the north gate of the ancient Lu city, with its current form dating to a 1494 reconstruction.