Qufu Introduction

Qufu, also known as the "sacred city" of the East, is one of China's most famous historic cities of culture. It is the birthplace of Confucius----the famous thinker and educationist. It is also the place where Confucius gave his lectures, the place where he was buried in 479 BC, and the place where people offer sacrifices to him. Mencius, another famous thinker and educationist, and a pupil of the great sage himself, was also born in Qufu.

Qufu is located between the River Si and the River Yi in the southwest part of Shangdong Province. To the north and east of Qufu are Mount Tai and Mount Yimeng, while to the south and west are Nafu and the Great Plain of Pingye.

Qufu was the central base of the eastern tribes in ancient China and was one of the areas where Dawenkou and the Longshan culture, famed for its black pottery, were found. It was also a city of music in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Confucius was born on Mt. Ni (551 BC), grew up in Jueli and was buried near  the River Si. He gave his lectures from the Xing Altar and attended office in the capital of the Lu Kingdom, Qufu itself.

Qufu is not only a city with a rich history, it is also famous for its architecture. InQufu,there are altogether more than 412 cultural and historical relics under government protection. Among them, the Residence of Confucius, the Confucius Temple , and the Confucius Forest are the most famous. UNESCO put these sites on the list of world heritage sights in 1994.

For the more adventurous tourist, the optimum visiting period would be sometime around Confucius' birthday in late September (approximately September 28 translated from the lunar calander.) This is peak visiting period for the town and so finding hotels, either in Qufu or nearby Taishan, as well as fighting the crowds, could well be troublesome. At such times the local vendors and numerous map sellers are likely to be out in force.

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