Qufu - Where Confucius Lived and Taught, China (189/418)

The Temple, Cemetery and Family mansion of Confucius, the great philosopher, politician and educator of the 6th-5th century B.C., is located at Qufu, in Shandong Province. The Temple built in his commemoration in 478 B.C., destroyed and reconstructed over the centuries, today comprises more than 100 buildings. The Cemetery contains Confucius' tomb, and the remains of more than 100,000 of his descendants. The small house of the Kong Family has become a gigantic aristocratic residence, of which 152 buildings remain. This complex of monuments at Qufu has maintained its outstanding artistic and historic character due to the devotion of successive Chinese emperors over more than 2,000 years.