Day 8 morning: Qufu Confucius temple and mansion
Bus ride to Qufu (pronounced "Choo foo"), home of Confucius. Confucius lived around 500BC but his influence on Chinese culture is still felt strongly today. At the time he was alive, the country was transitioning from a system based on slavery to a feudal system. There was lots of conflict with different kingdoms fighting for control. Confucius emphasized the importance of stable social relationships and government. Not all emperors liked him because he didn't support the idea of an all-powerful emperor. He felt that leaders should be chosen based on merit. He encouraged people to study and think for themselves.
More about Confucius>>
Met our city guide, Mei, and toured the temple. The photos below show the entrance to the temple (middle photo), and the city wall. ... Below that is a photo of one of the dragon sons - this one is Bixi whose special talent is he is good at carrying things. Here he carries a tablet. ... The columns of the temple are carved with dragons. Each one was done by a different artist as part of a competition by the Emperor to see which one was best. ... The red things on the board are little blocks that people buy and write a wish on. Some of them said, "I hope I do well on my exams" - things like that. (Yes, there were a few of them in English.)
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