Cemetery of Confucius (孔林)

The Cemetery of Confucius (Konglin) lies on Lindao Road just north of the old city of Qufu, Jining, Shandong, China, and is the third part of the UNESCO World Heritage site that includes the Temple of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion. It is the family burial ground of Confucius and more than 100,000 of his descendants, in continuous use for over two thousand years. The grounds are a large wooded park with ancient cypresses and other trees, planted and tended over centuries. A long avenue leads past stone guardian figures, gates and memorial archways to the tomb mound of Confucius, marked by a stele, with the tomb of his son Kong Li and his grandson Zisi nearby. Thousands of tablets, tombstones and stone statues of animals and officials record the family's changing status across dynasties. Visitors can walk the paths, rent a bicycle at the entrance, or ride an electric cart on the internal roads, since the grounds cover a large area. A full visit takes about one and a half to two hours. The site is calmer than the Temple, especially on weekday mornings, and spring and autumn provide comfortable weather and good light through the trees. Photography works best along the cypress avenue and around the stone figures. The cemetery is about two kilometres north of the old city, about ten minutes by taxi or by bus 1, and it is covered by the combined CNY 150 ticket that also includes the Temple and Kong Family Mansion.