Qufu - Birthplace of Confucius

We walked off the overnight train and into the town of Qufu to the explosions of confetti canons, which rained multi-colored paper scraps on the street in front of a newly opened department store. The sound - once we got over our fright at the sounds of artillery less than a block away from us - was apt accompaniment to bright red archways adorned with dragons and Chinese characters announcing the 2007 annual Confucian Culture Festival.

The wall surrounding the Confucian temple and Kong family home was draped with banners quoting famous insights from the works of Confucian scholars, while a crowd of locals and Chines tourists gathered in front of an immense TV screen to watch the ceremony being performed in front of an audience of invited dignitaries on the other side of the wall.
We started our tutorial on Confucian history at the Kong family mansion (Kong was Confucius's surname in Chinese.) Confucius himself rejected luxury and lived in a simple three room house that was later replaced by the large and ornate compound built by an emperor of the Song dynasty for his descendants.

The first generation of Confucius's descendants to live in this home was the 32nd generation - that is, the family of 32nd first-born son in the line of Confucius's first-born son's first born son's first born son, etc. Leading us around the site, our guide continued to pepper us with stories of the various generations, their families, and the interactions with emperors. I was amazed that the life and history of every generation of Confucius's descendants, on through the 77th generation son, who moved to Taiwan, is common knowledge. Our guide could give us the names of any generation of son, his wives, his brothers, his personality, and anecdotes about his life and accomplishments.

The birth of the 77th generation son was a fairly typical story about the descendants, whose lives did not seem to be consistent with Confucius's own way of life and philosophy of loving others, doing what is right, and leading by example. When Kong DeCheng, the 77th generation son, was born in 1920, his father had died several weeks before. The whole household, including not only his mother, but his father's other wives and all their children, were anxious to find out whether the child was a boy or a girl. His father had not yet sired a son; the Kong family estate, the authority of head of the Confucian family line, and the title of Sacrificial Official to Confucius hung in the balance. If the child were female, all this would have gone to the son of the father's sister, as the oldest male child in the generation. This was the last chance to save the household and keep the line.

As we now know, the child was male, and the household rejoiced. A large ceremonial door in the center of the courtyard was opened for the first time ever, and the mother walked through it with her son. (The door was opened for a second time when then-president Jiang Zemin visited the Kong family mansion, but he walked around the door, rather than through it, as a sign of respect.) One would think everyone in the family would have been grateful to her forth birthing the child that kept them in the mansion and in control of the Confucian family line, but jealousy drove another wife to murder the mother a few days later. So much for loving others.

I was pleased to find that city officials of Qufu have long protected the historical and cultural heritage of the Confucius family home, Confucian temple, and Confucian cemetery there. Unlike many important historical sites in China, these do not seem to have been destroyed by restoration, nor have they added loud music, lights, or amusement parks - despite being a famous tourist attraction, the atmosphere remains fairly serene. As you can see, preservation remains a priority. This bench reads, "The archaeological artifacts are not recyclable. Please take care of them."

The Confucian cemetery is home to the graves of Confucius and his many descendants. Anyone with the surname Kong is considered a descendant of Confucius. What if they are from some other Kong family, not at all blood related to Confucius, I asked the guide? Confucius was the first person with the last name Kong, she explained, therefore anyone with the last name Kong is his descendant. And if they are not even Chinese? Even if they are not Chinese. You see, Confucius is considered the father of surnames in China, since before Confucius there were no surnames. Thus, Confucius started the tradition of last names, and he started the Kong family line, therefore anyone with the surname Kong is part of his family. Got that?

Not every descendant of Confucius is eligible to be buried in the Confucian cemetery, however. According to our guide, there are four conditions for burial in the cemetery:
1) Must have the surname Kong. (See above.)
2) Must be male. (Females would marry someone and have children whose last name would not be Kong, therefore they are not really part of the family.)
3) Must be 17 years old or older. (For some reason, it is important to be an adult Kong to be considered a true descendant.)
4) Must have good morals/ no miscreants allowed.

Confucius's own tomb is in a place of honor in the cemetery, right near those of his son and grandson. Confucius is was given a title that can be translated as Sage, or even saint, and his grandson and many generations after were given the same title. Confucius son, however, while also venerated, was never given such a high title. I think the following story will dispel any misunderstanding that he might have been less clever than the other Kongs.

Kong son said to Confucius, "Father, in every way you are greater than me, but in one way I surpass you." Confucius asked, "In what am I inferior to you?" And the son replied, "Your son is not as great as my son."

Kong son then addressed his own son, "Son, in every way you are greater than me, but in one way I surpass you." Confucius's grandson asked, "In what way am I inferior to you?" And Kong son replied, "Your father is not as great as my father."

So, there.

We also learned at the Confucius cemetery that corruption is not a new phenomenon for Chinese public officials. There is a brook running through the cemetery called the Zhu Shui River, and there is a large stone sign identifying the bridge over the brook as Zhu Shui Bridge. When the sign was erected, the name of the bridge was carved in characters in the middle of the sign, with the date and a quote from the official who commissioned the sign along the side.

Many dynasties later, an emperor sent a large sum of money to Qufu to have a new sign built for the bridge. The new sign, of course, would recognize the emperor instead of the earlier office. Of course, the money went to other uses.

When the emperor announced he would come to Qufu to pray and honor Confucius, the local officials knew he would cross the bridge and see the old sign, rather than the one he had paid for. Scrambling for a solution on a shoestring, the officials removed the stone panel, turned it around, and carved a new sign, with the new date and emperor's name, into the back side of the panel. They put the sign back up with the newly carved side facing front. The emperor never knew the difference, and the sign with two carved sides remains over the bridge today.

For more pictures of our trip to Qufu and nearby Taishan, follow the link below:

Qufu & Taishan