photo source
Famous Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius was born, grew up and died near present day Qufu city. Just two years after his death his house was declared a temple. Over the centuries it was destroyed and rebuilt several times, each time on the grander scale. Today's temple dates from the early 16th century, when it was rebuilt following the 1499 fire sparked by lightning. Since it was built almost at the same time as the Forbidden City in Beijing, there are many design similarities between the two complexes.
photo source
The temple complex is the second largest historical building complex in China. It covers an area of 16,000 square metres and has a total of 460 rooms. Actually the complex takes up one fifth of the whole Qufu city. The main part of the temple consists of 9 courtyards. The Dacheng Hall (Hall of Great Achievement) is the primary place for ceremonies and one of the finest examples of traditional Chinese architecture. It is supported by 28 richly decorated pillars carved in one piece out of local rock. The 10 columns on the front side of the hall are decorated with coiled dragons. It is said that these columns were covered during visits by the emperor in order not to arouse his envy.
photo source
In the center of the courtyard in front of Dacheng Hall stands the "Apricot Platform", which commemorates Confucius teaching his students under an apricot tree.
Confucius was buried north of Qufu on the banks of the Si river. Just as the area around his home was transformed into a temple, over the centuries the precincts of his burial place grew into a family cemetery. More than 100 000 of his descendants lie there. They are remembered with tombstones, sculptures, pillars and gates. Today, there are about 3,600 tombstones still standing in the cemetery.