A 6-day visa-free tour in Shandong province

Day 6: Qufu in Jining

Qufu, a county-level city in Jining, is famous across the world for being the hometown of Confucius, who was a famous thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism who lived at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

The city has a variety of unique cultural relic sites, three of which are under State-level protection: the Confucius Temple, the Cemetery of Confucius, and the Kong Family Mansion.

The Confucius Temple in Qufu is the largest and most renowned one in China. It was first built in the year of 478 BC, the second year after Confucius's death, and was renovated and expanded dozens of times over the following centuries. Spanning an area of some 88 hectares, it is one of the top three ancient architectural complexes in China; the other two are Beijing's Palace Museum and Chengde Imperial Summer Resort in Hebei province.

The Cemetery of Confucius is where the tombs of Confucius and many of his descendants are found. Covering an area of more than 200 hectares and with some 100,000 graves discovered there, it is the largest, oldest and best-preserved family tomb and artificial garden in China. The Kong Family Mansion, located east of the Confucius Temple, is the place where descendants of Confucius live.

Finally, you can take a high-speed train from Qufu East Railway Station back to Qingdao, which will take three and a half hours.