Arriving in Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, the first thing coming into sight is the spacious temple of Confucius, which dominates the town. 

Confucius is the world-renowned Chinese philosopher born in Qufu more than 3,500 years ago. His influence on Chinese society culture lasts until the present day. Qufu has recently been restored to its former glory. It has become a tourist attraction rivaling the Great Wall.

In size and scale, the Confucius Temple ranks second only to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Construction of the Temple began in 478 B.C., the year after Confucius's death. It was rebuilt many times throughout the ensuing 3,000 years. 

The Temple grounds cover an area of 33 hectares with buildings laid out symmetrically along a 0.6-mile north-south axis. There are 53 magnificent gateways and numerous halls, pavilions and shrines elaborately roofed with glazed tiles.

• China celebrates fifth revision of Confucius' family tree
• Descendants hold memorial ceremony for Confucius in east China city
• New Tourist Attractions in Qufu
  Chinanew.cn March 30, 2005 - Qufu, Confucius' birthplace in east China's Shandong Province, has decided to enrich its cultural tourism programs and perform the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) ancient city gate opening ceremony and the Confucian Temple sacrifice rituals every week instead of once a year, to enable more visitors from home and abroad to appreciate the city's old world charms. Qufu used to perform the Ming Dynasty ancient city gate opening ceremony and the Confucian Temple sacrifice rituals once every year during the 15-day China Qufu International Confucius Culture Festival. With Confucius' hometown cultural tourism rising in popularity, these programs have gradually become favorites among visitors from home and abroad. Qufu has decided to perform these programs regularly, that is, at 9 o'clock every Saturday morning from Apr. 19 to Oct. 31 every year. More than 300 professional actors and actresses will take part. Tourists can also participate and gain first hand experience. Moreover, Qufu will also do a face-lift to the large-scale performance of "Xintanshengmeng," add Shanxi Luliang weifeng (powerful) gongs and drums as well as Russian and Korean actors and actresses.
   

• Confucius's Hometown Finished Renovation
  Xinhua News Aug. 29, 2005 - Qufu, the birthplace of China's preeminent philosopher Confucius, plans to restore its ancient city walls and streets ahead of the philosopher's 2556th birthday anniversary, which falls on September 28. (Click for full report).
   

• China to hold monthly rituals for Confucius to promote tourism
  Hindu, India, March 28, 2006 - Qufu, the hometown of Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC), a great thinker and educator in ancient China, has decided to hold memorial rituals for him on the 28th day of each month from April to October to popularise his thoughts as well as promote tourism. The activities are a simplified version of the grand ceremony held on September 28, the birthday of Confucius, when people dressed in traditional ancient costumes perform the rituals which had been held in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), according to a tourism official of Qufu city in eastern China's Shandong province. The monthly rituals are aimed at entertaining domestic and foreign tourists who want to appreciate the memorial activities for Confucius, the official said. Confucius, or Kong Fuzi in Chinese, was a great ancient Chinese educator and philosopher, with benevolence being one of his key doctrines. His profound thinking has been an integral part of China's cultural system. Such memorial events can be traced back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD) in China. Since the 1980s, a grand ceremony is held annually in Qufu on September 28 to commemorate the birth of Confucius.