Qufu

Qufu is home to China’s great ideologist and educator, Confucius, who was the founder of the Confucian School in ancient times. Reputed as Jerusalem in the east and one of the world’s four holy cities, Qufu has an abundance of brilliant culture heritages, including over 600 cultural relics and historic sites, 184 key culture relic protection sites and 6 national key cultural relic protection sites, such as the city ruins of the Kingdom of Lu in the Western Zhou Dynasty and the tomb of Shao Hao who was one of ancient China’s Five Emperors.

In 1982, Qufu was selected in the first batch of the famous historic and cultural cities by the State Council. The most famous scenic spots are three ancient architectural complexes, which include Confucius Family Mansion, Confucian Temple, and Cemetery of Confucius, and they were listed as the world cultural heritages by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1994.

At present, there are over 1,300 historic buildings of the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, about 5,000 tablet inscriptions of the successive dynasties, 17,000 old trees and famous wood species and a large number of documentary archives of Confucius family mansion in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Qufu has become a characteristic tourist attraction with time-honored national cultures and emotions, where an increasing number of people go there to show their respect to Confucius and feel Confucian culture. Every year, China Qufu International Confucius Culture Festival is held from September 26th to October 10th in Qufu which features characteristic performances and activities.

Qufu is located in the southwest of Shandong Province, which is about 135 kilometers from Jinan City.

Climate and Best Time to Visit

Qufu enjoys a monsoon continental climate of the warm temperate zone with four distinct seasons. It has dry spring, rainy summer, dry autumn, and cold winter, with an annual average temperature of 13.6℃. The hottest month is July with the monthly average temperature of 27.4℃, and the coldest month is January with the monthly average temperature of 1.4℃. Generally speaking, it’s suitable for traveling to Qufu in every season, and the best time to travel to Qufu is from June to September when you can also appreciate blooming lotus and peach blossoms.

Travel Tips

As Qufu is a famous historic and cultural city, it mainly features places of historic figures and cultural heritage. These human landscapes may involve a number of historical stories and background allusions. Thus, tourists had better consult relative information of the attractions before the visit.