Qufu - Confucius Temple

The Confucius temple complex (22ha/54acres) was built in 478 BC, only one year after the death of the philosopher at the instigation of Duke Lu Aigong. The temple stands on the site of the house where Confucius was born. In the course of centuries the building has been repeatedly damaged, restored over 60 times and extended. The alterations finally ceased in the 18th C, and since then the building has remained unchanged. In 1994, UNESCO included the Confucius Temple in its list of World Heritage Sites.

The 1km/.5mi long and over 200m/218yd wide temple grounds, surrounded by cyprus trees, incorporate nine courtyards lined by groups of 466 buildings of various designs. Together with the Imperial Palace in Beijing and the Imperial Summer Palace in Chengde, the temple is one of the three outstanding creations of ancient Chinese architecture.

There is a defense tower on each of the four sides of the red curtain wall.