Qufu

Nestled in southwestern Shandong province, approximately 110km south of the provincial capital Jinan, Qufu is a county-level city of over 650,000 inhabitants. Its Chinese name (曲阜) literally translates as "crooked hill", a reference to a mile-long terrain feature that defined the city during its era as the capital of the independent state of Lu (6th to 4th century BCE) .
Qufu is universally recognised as the birthplace of Kongzi (551–479 BCE), the sage known in the West as Confucius . While his father was a minor aristocrat, Confucius was raised in poverty and never witnessed the widespread adoption of his philosophy during his lifetime. The city is now dominated by the "San Kong" (Three Confucian Sites) - the Temple of Confucius, the Kong Family Mansion, and the Cemetery of Confucius - which were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The temple, rebuilt in its present form in 1730, is China's second-largest historical building complex after the Forbidden City, featuring the towering Dacheng Hall with its distinctive stone-carved dragon pillars. Adjacent stands the mansion of his direct descendants, the Kong family, who served as hereditary guardians until the 20th century. Beyond these historic complexes, the city has expanded its offerings with modern attractions like the Nishan Sacred Land, home to a 72-metre statue of the sage, which draws over 1.6 million visitors annually.
How to get to Qufu
Qufu can be easily reached by high speed rail from Jinan.
Accommodation
There are countless hotels in and around Qufu, bookable via international hotel booking portals.