Qufu

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Qufu ( Chinese  曲阜 市 , Pinyin Qūfù Shì ) is an independent city in the east Chinese province of Shandong . It belongs to the administrative area of the prefecture-level city of Jining .

According to Chinese mythology, the city is considered the place of birth and death of Confucius . In 1994, the Confucius Temple, Cemetery, and Residence of the Kong family were named World Heritage Sites in 1994.

geography

The city is located about 170 km south of the provincial capital Jinan , has an area of ​​896 km² and around 640,000 inhabitants (as of 2004).

Administrative structure

At the community level, Qufu consists of two street districts , six large communities and four communities . These are:

  • Lucheng (鲁 城 街道) street district, center, seat of the city government
  • Shuyuan Street District (书院 街道)
  • Wucun municipality (吴 村镇)
  • Yaocun Parish (姚 村镇)
  • Lingcheng Municipality (陵 城镇)
  • Xiaoxue Parish (小雪 镇)
  • Nanxin Municipality (南辛 镇)
  • Shizhuang Township (时 庄镇)
  • Wangzhuang Township (王 庄乡)
  • Dongzhuang Township (董 庄乡)
Confucius tomb at the end of the 19th century
  • Xizou Township (息 陬 乡)
  • Fangshan Township (防 山乡)

history

Confucius lived and worked in Qufu . The Confucianism he founded is the world view, or philosophy or religion , which has the greatest importance in China . Almost every fourth Qufuer is a descendant of Confucius. The city is an important place of Confucianism. Throughout history, numerous Chinese emperors made pilgrimages to Qufu, followed by millions of ordinary Chinese. Members of the Kung and Kong families from the 46th generation onwards were awarded the title "Prince Yang Sheng", ie "Prince of the continuing line of the wise". The Kung are thus the oldest uninterrupted lineage in China.

Many of the monuments were damaged or destroyed during the so-called Cultural Revolution . In 1935, Kung The-Cheng , a nobleman and descendant of Confucius in the 77th generation, was stripped of all privileges by the government of communist China. In 1949 he fled to Taiwan , where he died in 2011 at the age of 88. The 78th, 79th and 80th generations still live on the island today. A branch line of the kung is said to live in mainland China.

Attractions

Confucius Tomb in Qufu
Confucius Temple, historical plan (1912)

Confucius Temple

One of the most important sights in Qufu is the 22 hectare Confucius Temple (孔庙 "Kǒng Miào"), which was built on the site where the birthplace of Confucius previously stood.

The entire complex comprises nine courtyards, around which 466 buildings of different types are grouped. Next to the temple is the Confucius Forest. The tomb of Confucius is surrounded by around 100,000 graves of members of his clan.

Residence of the Kong family

The residence of the Kung or Kong family (孔府 "Kong Fu"), which is very similar to the Confucius Temple, is about 16 hectares in size, had up to 456 rooms and consists of nine courtyards, numerous buildings and a large garden and served the Family of Confucius as an apartment.

Forest of the Kong family

The forest of the Kung or Kong family (孔林 "Konglin") is about 1.5 km north of the city. Confucius, his son, his grandson and almost all direct and indirect descendants of Confucius are buried in the approximately 200 hectare area. The headstone of Confucius bears the inscription “Tomb of the holy king of culture, who has attained perfection”.

In 1947 the family fled to Taiwan before the communist revolution. The communists destroyed Confucius' sculpture. The People's Republic of China today allows a monitored worship of Confucius again. The living rooms of the Kongs can be viewed again today as they were left in 1947. Confucius' sculpture has been restored (made of plaster). In 1996, the government established a Confucius Institute in the town. In 2004 descendants of the clan celebrated the ancestor cult in Qufu for the first time.

gallery

  • View of the walls of the fortress

  • Forest of the Kong family

  • In the historical cemetery

  • One of the doors of the city

  • Entrance to the Confucius Temple.

Web links

Commons : 曲阜  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu. Retrieved April 17, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Hoo Nam Seelmann: The human aspect of people - the fade and the recent - on the trail of Confucius and Menzius in the Chinese province of Shandong . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . No. 304 . Zurich December 31, 2012, p. 35 .

Coordinates: 35 ° 36 '  N , 116 ° 59'  E