Visiting Qufu
Trip Start
Jul 20, 2004
1
129
156
Trip End
Jul 20, 2012
Qufu,
Shandong,
China
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Qufu was the capital of the kingdom, Lu, in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC) and is the hometown of the great Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius. Most tourists go there in order to see the places where Confucius lived, studied and was buried. There aren't any high buildings in Qufu, since the local people don't allow their buildings to exceed the height of the Dacheng Hall (81 feet) which the main hall of the Temple of Confucius. In this way, they show their respect for this great person.
Qufu is a city of great character. One fifth of the residents of Qufu have the surname Kong and they are all Confucius' descendants. Meanwhile, it's a rich productive city. The local special product Qufu rice, it's very famous in China. Also there are many different kinds of handicrafts and each of them is highly appreciated
Entrance to Kong Lin
. Qufu is a place that is able to create delicacies. In the Chinese ancient times, the local Kong Family Feast originating from the Kong Family Mansion became quite well-known. It's said that the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1796) paid a visit to Qufu and, while there the cooks of the Kong Family Mansion made a Kong Family Feast for him. After the emperor participated in the feast, he was very pleased and satisfied.
In Qufu, I stayed at the brandspanking new Youth Hostel which had only 2 guests at the time of my stay. Emma, the friendly receptionist speaks English and is happy to help with chinese. We had a good time chatting;if you like to play the guitar, the hostel boss plays it sometimes during the day and he would surely be delighted to hand his guitar to anybody who can play.
Qufu is easy to get around on foot; Iwalked everywhere, to the Cemetary, around town and the temple. If you have been to Pingyao you get a deja vu feeling in Qufu. Walking along the inner Wall reminded me very much of the Pingyao city wall.
