The Temple of Confucius in Qufu, located in China’s Shandong Province, stands on the site of the philosopher’s former residence and is the world’s most important sanctuary dedicated to Confucius. Founded in 478 BC, only two years after his death, it has been enlarged and rebuilt by successive dynasties for more than twenty-four centuries, becoming the oldest and most influential Confucian temple in existence and the model for thousands of Confucian temples throughout East Asia. Together with the Kong Family Mansion and the Cemetery of Confucius, it forms the “Three Confucian Sites”, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
Covering approximately 13 hectares, the complex follows the layout of an imperial palace, with nine successive courtyards, monumental gates, imperial stelae and the magnificent Dacheng Hall, the ceremonial heart of Confucian worship. For more than two thousand years, emperors, scholars and officials came here to honour the teacher whose philosophy shaped Chinese education, ethics and government. More than a religious monument, the temple is one of the greatest symbols of Chinese intellectual history, where architecture, ritual and philosophy converge.
- Address
Shendao Rd, Qufu, Jining, Shandong, China - Web
None - Visiting Hours
Every day from 8:00am to 5:30pm - What to see
Dacheng Hall, Nine Courtyards, Imperial stelae and ancient cypress trees
