Confuciusville II: Happy Birthday!

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22222

Twenty-two thousand two hundred and twenty two. That's how many words I have written prior to this entry; it's a special day.

Yesterday (September 28th) was also a special day: it was, apparently, Confucius's Birthday. To celebrate, my house guest wanted to visit his place of birth, Qufu. I went with him.

Surprisingly, when we went up to Qufu, there didn't seem to be much excitement or celebration, except for a crew of men dissembling some lights, speakers, and other performance equipment around the Temple. That was as much of a celebration as we ever saw given to China's greatest thinker, moral compass, and cultural anchor. The flow of tourists and the tourism industry were much the same as they had been on that rainy day in May, except for the multitudes of souvenir vendors aggressively hawking their wares under the clear skies. (I admit it. I was tempted to buy the warplane fashioned from bullet shells. But I mustered my willpower.)

Here, in this obscure blog entry, I have the opportunity to expand my previous reportoire of Confucius-related place-names in Qufu. In addition to the Confucius Temple, Confucius Wall, and Confucius River, I must also add the Confucius Mansions and the Confucius Forest.

Boy was I wrong when I talked about the Confucius Temple before, as if was all there was to Qufu! There's also a huge series of complexes just up the road from it, which are apparently the dwelling places of Confucius's descendants. The complex is known as the Confucius Mansions. It's perplexingly large, and I don't really know how we missed it the first time. Just as Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson's kids, and George W. Bush prove to us today, it really pays off if you've had a rich and famous parent or ancestor, even if the descendants themselves are completely worthless (I know this to be true for two out of three parties mentioned above; the reader decides which two I mean).

I don't know how worthless his descendants were, but they all had the privilege of being buried in the Confucius Forest just north of the Old Mansions and Temple. Even the 43rd generation (we saw it). Now walking out of the bustling city and into this massive forest-like graveyard is a Legend-of-Zelda-like experience in itself: you're suddenly immersed in this otherworldly realm filled with ancient mysteries and trees. We never did find the Master Sword, but we did stumble across Confucius' grave.

Except for the mosquitos and spiders, the forest is a nice place to be--the material world melts away, and you are among an eternity of pines, earthen mounds, and grave stones. It's very quiet, and you can walk along various footpaths while paying homage to the dead. It's truly a world between worlds. If I ever die, I want this to be the place the put me.

Also, there are some pretty hilarious trees at the entrance, and each one is meticulously tagged, accounted for, and documented. Now THAT's forest management.

It's worth doing. Take a look if you're in town; tickets to all three locations (Mansions, Temple, and Forest) only cost 150 kuai (100 to just visit one site). If you come down (from Jining) on a bus, you must know that the last bus back to Jining apparently leaves at 5:40 (at least that's what Sam told me last time I was here)--this kept us from exploring the city further. I hope you like the pictures.

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Photos

It Would Be Funny Wouldn't It, A Tree On A Stick
Imagine all the people, laughing till they're sick.

Comments

[Alan]

The Place to Go
Hey GD, A friend of mine in our Beijing office said his visit to the Confucious forest was one of his favorite places. The pics are great! Thanks for sharing.

[Global Drifter]

You are very welcome!