Qufu Temple of Confucius (Kong Miao)

Confucianism is both a philosophy and a religion, and Confucians pay tribute to the spirit of their master, whose family name was Kong, at all three of Qufu’s UNESCO-listed sites: the Temple of Confucius (Kong Miao), the Cemetery of Confucius (Kong Lin), and the Kong Family Mansion (Kong Fu). The “three Kongs” stand close together and people usually visit on a combo ticket, though you can buy tickets for the temple alone.

Qufu has bullet-train connections to cities including Beijing and Shanghai, and some guides collect travelers at the station to cover the three sites in a day or even half a day—sometimes alongside Ni Mountain, south of the city, where legend claims Confucius was born in a cave. Longer trips visit other Shandong province highlights such as Mt. Tai (Tai Shan), a sacred mountain that’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the capital of Jinan, known for its springs and lakes.

• The Qufu Temple of Confucius is a great choice for history buffs, culture lovers, and anyone with an interest in Confucianism.

• The temple does not have a strict dress code, but all genders should ensure thighs and shoulders are covered: short-shorts and spaghetti straps are a no.

• Parts of the Confucius Temple complex are wheelchair-accessible, with chairs available at the entrance.

The Qufu Temple of Confucius is in the heart of Qufu’s old city. Most travelers will arrive by high-speed train, which comes into the modern Qufu East Railway Station, about a 7-mile (12-kilometer) drive from the Kongs: the K01 bus runs to the Confucius Temple.

The Qufu Temple of Confucius is open morning until afternoon seven days a week: costumed actors often perform opening and closing ceremonies. Qufu celebrates the sage’s birthday in late September with a huge festival, which brings colorful rituals but vast crowds—plan well ahead. As with most big-ticket Chinese attractions, time your visit to avoid weekends and the week-long holidays at the start of May and October.

Rebuilt and refurbished many times over the last 2,500 years, the Confucius Temple is arranged along a north-south axis and decked with ancient stelae and gnarled trees. Highlights include Qufu Dacheng Hall, the main temple area, the Great Pavilion of the Constellation of Scholars (Kuiwen Ge), a vast library, and the Hall of the Wise Men (Shengji Dian), known for its historic paintings. Don’t miss the Xingtan Altar, where students learned from the master in the shade of an apricot tree.