Temple & Cemetery of Confucius & Kong Family Mansion in Qufu

In 1994, Temple & Cemetery of Confucius & Kong Family Mansion in Qufu was inscribed as World Heritage by UNESCO. This site is situated in Qufu, Shandong Province, China.
Confucius is a renowned philosopher in the human history. In China, he was also politician and educator in many dynasties. Confucianism involving philosophy, politics and ethics has influenced profoundly on Chinese culture.
Qufu is the hometown of Confucius, who is traditionally believed to have been born in the Kingdom of Lu (551BC—479BC), located in southwestern Shandong province, China, about 135 kilometers (81 mi) south of the provincial capital Jinan. Qufu contains numerous historic palaces, temples and cemeteries. The three most famous cultural sites of the city, collectively known as San Kong (三孔), i.e. "The Three Confucian Sites", are the Temple of Confucius, the Cemetery of Confucius, and the Kong Family Mansion.
The cemetery contains Confucius' tomb and the remains of more than 100,000 of his descendants. The small house of the Kong family developed into a gigantic aristocratic residence, of which 152 buildings remain.

Temple of Confucius (Kong Miao)
Within two years after the death of Confucius, his former house in Qufu was already consecrated as a temple by the Prince of Lu. The temple complex is the second largest historical building complex in China (after the Forbidden City) with well-designed architecture traditionally. Covering an area of 16,000 square meters and has a total of 460 rooms that used to be a place to warship Confucius.

Cemetery of Confucius (Kong Lin)
The Cemetery of Confucius is situated to the north of the town of Qufu. The oldest graves found in this location date back to the Zhou Dynasty. The original tomb erected here in memory of Confucius on the bank of the Sishui River had the shape of an axe.

Kong Family Mansion (Kong Fu)
The direct descendants of Confucius lived in the Kong family Mansion located to the east of the temple. They were in charge of tending to the temple and cemetery.