Confucius' tomb
A plain mound.
Scott Edmunds — CC BY 2.0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · User:Vmenkov — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0
The vast cemetery of the Kong family north of Qufu, where Confucius and some of his disciples lie along with more than a hundred thousand of his descendants buried over some two thousand years; its oldest graves date from the Zhou dynasty and its most recent belong to descendants of the 76th and 78th generations. Work on its wall and gate began in 1331 and it was renovated thirteen times, until by the late eighteenth century its wall ran 7.5 kilometres around 3.6 square kilometres filled with dense ancient trees, hence its Chinese name, meaning «Kong Forest». A long avenue shaded by cypresses leads to the tomb of Confucius, a plain earthen mound with a stone tablet before it, while the descendants' graves spread among the trees with their stone tablets and stone tortoises bearing steles; the cemetery was damaged in 1966 and later restored. Tickets cost CNY 10, or it is covered by the CNY 140 combined ticket to all three sites, per visitor guides. The cemetery is large, so allow plenty of time, and the quiet morning is the loveliest time.
A plain mound.
Long and shady.
Bearing steles.
North of Qufu's old town
About two kilometres north of the temple, reachable on foot or by taxi; tickets cost CNY 10, per visitor guides.
