Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Queli Hotel
C2
Sights
The principal sights, Confucius Temple, Confucius Mansion and Confucius
Forest, are known collectively as
San Kong
or Three Kongs. The
main ticket
office
(
shoupiaochu
) is at the corner of Queli Jie and Nanma Dao, east of the
Confucius Temple's main entrance. You can buy admission to individual sights,
but the
combination ticket
(¥150)
, grants access to all three plus free or half-
price entry to a number of other Confucius-related sights, including
Confucius
Cave
( , Fuzi Dong) about 30km southeast of Qufu on Ni Shan. This is where,
according to legend, a frighteningly ugly Confucius was born, abandoned,
cared for by a tiger and an eagle before his mother realised he was sent from
heaven and decided to care for him.
CONFUCIUS TEMPLE
( Kong Miao; admission ¥90, included in combination ticket; 8am-5.10pm)
China's largest imperial building complex after the Forbidden City began as
Confucius' three-room house. By 1012, it had four courtyards and more than
300 rooms. An imperial palace-style wall was added. After a fire in 1499, it
was rebuilt to its present scale.
The temple has nine courtyards arranged on a central axis. Halfway along
rises the triple-eaved
Great Pavilion of the Constellation of Scholars
(
Kuiwen Ge), an imposing Song-dynasty wooden structure. A series of gates
and colossal, twin-eaved stelae pavilions lead to the
Apricot Altar
( Xing Tan),
Confucian
