Qufu Confucius Temple, Confucius Cemetery, and Confucius Mansion -- China World Heritage Series

Author: Chen Chuanping, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The Confucius Temple, Confucius Mansion, and Confucius Cemetery are located in Qufu City, Shandong Province. They are symbols of China's commemoration of Confucius and the promotion of Confucianism, renowned for their profound cultural heritage, long history, grand scale, rich cultural relics, and scientific and artistic value. The Confucius Temple is situated in the center of Qufu City. According to historical records, in the second year after Confucius's death (477 BC), Duke Ai of Lu rebuilt Confucius's former residence into a temple to worship him. Through successive reconstructions and expansions, the current scale was formed during the Ming Dynasty. It consists of nine courtyards in front and back, covering an area of 140,000 square meters, and contains over 100 pavilions, halls, towers, and archways. The temple includes the Apricot Garden where Confucius taught and the juniper trees he planted himself, as well as over 1,000 steles from various dynasties.
Confucius Mansion, originally known as the Mansion of the Grand Secretary of the Confucian Family, is located east of the Confucius Temple. It served as the official residence of the direct descendants of Confucius. Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, once offered a grand sacrifice at Confucius's tomb and enfeoffed the ninth-generation descendant of Confucius as the Hereditary Imperial Sacrificer, representing the state in worshipping Confucius. Over the centuries, the title was elevated, and by the Song Dynasty, the holder was titled the Grand Secretary of the Confucian Family. The independent Mansion of the Grand Secretary of the Confucian Family was established in the tenth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty. It now has over 480 rooms, with the front serving as an official office and the back as a private residence. The mansion houses the famous Confucius Mansion Archives and a large collection of cultural relics.
Confucius Cemetery is located north of Qufu and serves as the family burial ground for Confucius and his descendants. Confucius died in the sixteenth year of Duke Ai of Lu (479 BC) on the fourth day of the fourth month, and was buried north of the city at the Sishang River. His descendants were buried alongside him, forming the modern-day Confucius Cemetery. Since Zigong, one of Confucius's disciples, planted trees on his master's tomb, the cemetery now contains over 10,000 ancient trees. There are over 100,000 tombs and more than 4,000 steles in the cemetery, including the tomb of Kong Shangren, the famous author of the Peach Blossom Fan.
Qufu is one of China's first historical and cultural cities. The "Three Confucian Sites" are the most important cultural heritage scenic areas in Qufu, representing the city's most alluring destinations. This book introduces and showcases the rich and splendid cultural relics of the "Three Confucian Sites" while also delving into the historical reasons behind the profound, enduring, and ever-renewing nature of Confucian culture. It enables readers to understand the "Three Confucian Sites" and the immense historical and cultural significance they carry from multiple perspectives and levels. This also makes the book particularly thought-provoking compared to other works on the same topic.