Sunday, June 19, 2016

Qufu: The Home of Confucius, the Great Philosopher This one’s for you, MaryAnne!


Rick stands outside the city wall.  The Moat is on the right.


A performance using traditional Chinese instruments 


The entrance to the temple courtyard


The world’s first classroom


The ceiling of the outdoor classroom.  Beautiful!


Rick and Kevin, our guide, stand in front of the carved stone pillar.


Actors depict the royals entering the mansion.


We are kneeling on the stone “washboard” used for punishment.  The usual time is four hours.  30 seconds was enough for us.


Rick and Kevin stand in front of the lotus leaves.  The gardens surrounding the house were lovely.


The painting tells the story of the baby dragon with multiple musical instruments.  He also wanted the sun (upper left corner) and that was his downfall.


“Frienemy” intersecting roofs.  Note the number of carved animals guarding each dwelling.  The more royal the individual, the greater number of carvings to stand guard over the home.


The ornate structures are amazing.  Note the detail in the wood pieces supporting the roof.  No nails or glue are used in their assembly.


This display depicts the Confucian belief of living in harmony.


Touching the teeth of the baby dragon brings wealth.  I already have riches in the form of blessings, but we’ll see what happens next.


The cemetery is acres of serene trees, mounds, and stones.  It is still used for direct descendants of Confucius. 


The tomb of Confucius

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