Lonely Planet China
Page 39
zFestivals & Events
International Climbing FestivalSPORTS
(www.zgjqdh.com/zt/tsgjdsj/index.shtml)
Trail runners and stair steppers converge to race up the Central route for this festival every September.
4Sleeping
Sleeping on the mountain is convenient for the sunrise, but it is much more expensive and rooms are simpler than in Tài'ān. Look for signs posting 如家 (rújiā) or 宾馆 (bīnguǎn) at the summit area along Tian Jie for inns starting from around ¥120 and going way up on weekends. Rates can triple during holiday periods, but during slack periods you can bargain for discounts.
Xiānjū BīnguǎnHOTEL$$
(仙居宾馆 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0538 823 9984; 5 Tian Jie, 天街5号 tw ¥120-380, d & tr ¥420-740; aW)
By the South Gate to Heaven, this two-star hotel offers comfortable enough rooms, some with large windows overlooking greenery and views. Discounts of 30%.
Shénqì HotelHOTEL$$$
(神憩宾馆, Shénqì Bīnguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0538 822 3866; 18 Tian Jie, 天街18号 s & d ¥1200-1800, ste ¥6000; aW)
This old-timer is the only hotel on the actual summit, with prices reflecting that. The priciest mountain-view, standard rooms are very pleasant and are pretty much the pick of the mountain crop. The restaurant serves Taoist banquet fare (from ¥28).
Nán Tiān Mén BīnguǎnHOTEL$$$
(南天门宾馆 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0538 833 0988; 1 Tian Jie, 天街1号 d ¥980, without bathroom ¥680-780, tr ¥880-980; aW)
Located smack bang before you turn onto Tian Jie, this is the easiest place for weary legs to reach at the summit. Rooms have seen quite a bit of wear and tear but are still clean and airy; the cheapest have common shower and toilet. There's 24-hour hot water.
5Eating
The Central Route is dotted with stalls and restaurants, with clusters at the cable cars. Prices rise as you do; expect to pay double the usual. Hawkers line the path to the summit, selling fruit and snacks that similarly increase in price with altitude. Stock up in town before you climb. Many of the hotels have restaurants where you can find a decent (but pricey) meal.
8Information
Twenty-four-hour first-aid stations are at both the Midway ( GOOGLE MAP ) and South Gate ( GOOGLE MAP ).
8Getting There & Away
Regular buses connect Tài Shān Train Station with access points to the mountain, mostly from 6.30am to 7.30pm during peak season and to 5.30pm otherwise.
Bus 3 ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ¥2) Runs until 11pm during peak season, going in one direction to the Central route trailhead and the other to Tiānwài Village (天外村; Tiānwài Cūn).
ABus 4 (¥2) Also runs until 11pm during peak season; it goes to Dài Temple and around the town centre.
Bus 16 ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ¥2) Connects to Peach Blossom Valley.
Bus 19 ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ¥2; h50 minutes) Runs from Dongyue Dajie across from the Tài Shān Train Station to Tiānzhú Peak trailhead.
Taxis cost ¥7 for the first 3km and ¥1.50 (slightly more at night) per kilometre thereafter. It costs ¥12 from the Tài Shān Train Station or ¥26 from the Tài’ān Train Station to the Central route trailhead.
8Getting Around
Frequent buses (¥30) run up and down the mountain all day between Tiānwài Village and Midway Gate to Heaven. Cable cars reach the summit area from Midway Gate to Heaven, Peach Blossom Park and Rear Rocky Recess.
Qūfù 曲阜
%0537 / Pop 302,805
The hometown of the great sage Confucius and his descendants, the Kong clan, Qūfù (曲阜) is a testament to the importance of Confucian thought in imperial China to this day. The town is one of Shāndōng's top sights, and is a mandatory stop for anyone keen to see how revered the social philosopher remains.
Viewing the main sights within the city walls of ancient Qūfù, a Unesco World Heritage Site, will take a full day.
Qūfù
1Sights
1Confucius MansionC1
2Confucius TempleB2
3Yán TempleC1
4Sleeping
4Fúyuàn HotelC2
5Quèlǐ HotelC2
6Qūfù International Youth HostelC1
7Shangri-La HotelC3
5Eating
8Mù'ēn Lóu Halal Food & DrinkB1
9Qūfù Night MarketC2
10Street VendorsC1
11Yù Shū FángC1
1Sights
The principal sights – Confucius Temple, Confucius Mansion and Confucius Forest – are known collectively as ‘Sān Kǒng’ (三孔; ‘Three Kongs’). The main ticket office is on Shendao Lu just outside the Confucius Temple’s main entrance. You can buy admission to the individual sights, but the combination ticket (per person ¥150) grants access to all three Confucius-related sights.
From 15 November to 15 February, admission to individual sights is ¥10 cheaper (the combined ticket stays the same) and sights close about a half hour earlier.
Confucius TempleCONFUCIAN TEMPLE
(孔庙, Kǒng Miào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; incl in combination ticket, or ¥90; h8am-5.10pm)
Like shrines to Confucius throughout China and Asia, this is more museum than altar. The heart of the complex is the huge yellow-eaved Dàchéng Hall (大成殿; Dàchéng Diàn), which in its present form dates from 1724. Craftspeople carved the 10 dragon-coiled columns so expertly that they were covered with red silk when Emperor Qianlong visited, lest he feel that the Forbidden City’s Hall of Supreme Harmony paled in comparison. Inside is a huge statue of Confucius resplendent on a throne.
Above him are the characters for ‘wànshì shībiǎo’, meaning ‘model teacher for all ages’.
The temple has nine courtyards arranged on a central axis. China’s largest imperial building complex after the Forbidden City began as Confucius’ three-room house, but after his death in 478 BC the Duke of the Lǔ (鲁) state consecrated his simple abode as a temple. Everything in it, including his clothing, books, musical instruments and a carriage, was perfectly preserved. The house was rebuilt for the first time in AD 153, kicking off a series of expansions and renovations in subsequent centuries. By 1012 it had four courtyards and over 300 rooms. An imperial-palace-style wall was added. After a fire in 1499, it was rebuilt to its present scale.
Over 1000 stelae documenting imperial gifts and sacrifices from the Han dynasty onwards as well as treasured examples of calligraphy and stone reliefs are preserved on the grounds. Look for a bìxì bearing the Chéng Huà stele (成化碑; Chénghuà bēi), dedicated by the Ming emperor in 1468, which praises Confucius in a particularly bold, formal hand. The characters are so perfect that copies were used to teach penmanship. The Shèngjì Hall (圣迹殿; Shèngjī Diàn) houses 120 famed Tang-dynasty paintings depicting Confucius’ life immortalised as carvings.
Halfway through the complex rises the triple-eaved Great Pavilion of the Constellation of Scholars (奎文阁; Kuíwén Gé), an imposing Song-dynasty wooden structure. A series of gates and colossal, twin-eaved stele pavilions lead to the Apricot Altar (杏坛; Xìng Tán), which marks the spot where Confucius taught his students under an apricot tree.
South of Chóngshèng Hall (崇圣祠; Chóngshèng Cí), which was once the site of the original family temple, the Lǔ Wall (鲁壁; Lǔ Bì) stands where Confucius’ ninth-generation descendant hid Confucius’ writings in the walls of his house during Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s book-burning campaign around 213 BC. The texts were uncovered during an attempt to raze the grounds in 154 BC, spurring new schools of Confucian scholarship and long debates over what Confucius really said.
Confucius MansionMUSEUM
(孔府, Kǒng Fǔ MAP GOOGLE MAP ; incl in combination ticket, or ¥60; h8am-5.15pm)
Next to Confucius Temple is this maze of living quarters, halls, studies and further studies. The mansion buildings were moved from the temple grounds to the present site in 1377 and vastly expanded into 560 rooms in 1503. More remodelling followed, including reconstruction following a deva
stating fire in 1885. The mansion was for centuries the most sumptuous private residence in China, thanks to imperial sponsorship and the Kong clan’s rule, which included powers of taxation and execution, over Qūfù as an autonomous estate.
The clan indulged in 180-course meals, and kept servants and consorts. Male heirs successively held the title of Duke Yan Sheng from the Song dynasty until 1935.
Confucius Mansion is built on an ‘interrupted’ north–south axis with administrative offices (taxes, edicts, rites, registration and examination halls) at the entrance (south) and private quarters at the back (north). The Ceremonial Gate (重光门; Chóngguāng Mén) was opened only when emperors dropped in. The central path passes a series of halls, including the Great Hall (大堂; Dà Táng) and Nèizhái Gate (内宅门; Nèizhái Mén), which separated the private and public parts of the residence and was guarded at all times.
The large ‘shòu’ character (壽; longevity) presented in traditional Chinese script within the single-eaved Upper Front Chamber (前上房; Qián Shàng Fáng) north of Nèizhái Gate was a gift from Qing Empress Cixi. The Duke lived in the two-storey Front Chamber (前堂楼; Qián Táng Lóu).
Just east of Nèizhái Gate is the Tower of Refuge (奎楼; Kuí Lóu), not open to visitors, where the Kong clan could gather if the peasants turned nasty. It has an iron-lined ceiling on the ground floor and a staircase that could be yanked up.
Confucius ForestCEMETERY
(孔林, Kǒng Lín incl in combination ticket, or ¥40; h8am-5.20pm)
About 2km north of town on Lindao Lu is the peaceful Confucius Forest, a cemetery of pine and cypress covering 200 hectares bounded by a 10km-long wall. Confucius and more than 100,000 of his descendants have been buried here for the past 2000 years, a tradition still ongoing. Today the tomb is a simple grass mound enclosed by a low wall and faced with a Ming-dynasty stele. Pairs of stone guardians stand at the ready.
The sage’s son and grandson are buried nearby, and scattered through the forest are dozens of temples and pavilions.
When Confucius died in 479 BC, he was buried on the bank of the Si River beneath a simple marker. In the Western Han dynasty, Emperor Wudi deemed Confucianism the only worthy school of thought, and then the Tomb of Confucius (孔子墓; Kǒngzǐ Mù) became a place of pilgrimage.
A slow walk through the parklike cemetery can take a couple of hours, though Confucius’ tomb is just a 15-minute walk from the entrance (turn left after the carts). Open-air shuttles (one way/return ¥10/20) allow you to hop on and off in the forest.
Sightseeing carts depart for the forest from the corner of Houzuo Jie and Gulou Dajie. Otherwise, take a pedicab (¥10) or bus 1 (¥2) from Gulou Beijie. Walking takes about 30 minutes.
Confucius CavePARK
(夫子洞, Fūzǐ Dòng ¥50; h8.10am-5pm)
About 30km southeast of Qūfù, this cave on Ní Shān (尼山) is where, according to legend, a frighteningly ugly Confucius was born, abandoned and cared for by a tiger and an eagle, before his mother realised he was sent from heaven and decided to care for him. The gravitas is a bit hokey, but the sight offers a chance for some fresh air.
Buses for Ni Shān (¥8) leave regularly from the long-distance bus station. A taxi there is about ¥40.
Yán TempleCONFUCIAN TEMPLE
(颜庙, Yán Miào MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Yanmiao Jie, 颜庙街 ¥50; h8am-5.10pm; g1, 3)
This tranquil temple northeast of Confucius Mansion is dedicated to Confucius’ beloved disciple Yan Hui, whose death at age 32 caused the understated Confucius ‘excessive grief’. The main structure, Fùshèng Hall (复圣殿; Fùshèng Diàn), has a magnificent ceiling decorated with a dragon head motif. Outside a bìxì carries a stele that posthumously granted Yan the title of Duke of Yanguo (in both Han and Mongol script) in AD 1331.
CONFUCIUS: THE FIRST TEACHER
An idealist born into a world of violent upheaval, Confucius (551–479 BC) spent his life trying to stabilise society according to traditional ideals. By his own measure he failed, but over time he became one of the most influential thinkers the world has known. Confucius’ ideals remain at the core of values in East Asia today and still exercise massive power over Chinese thinking.
Confucius was born Kong Qiu (孔丘), earning the honorific Kongfuzi (孔夫子), literally ‘Master Kong’, after becoming a teacher. His family was poor but of noble rank, and eventually he became an official in his home state of Lǔ (in present-day Shāndōng). At the age of 50 he put a plan into action to reform government that included routing corruption. This resulted in his exile, and he spent 13 years travelling from state to state, hoping to find a ruler who would put his ideas into practice. Eventually he returned to his home town of Qūfù and spent the remainder of his life expounding the wisdom of the Six Classics (The Book of Changes, Songs, Rites, History, Music and the Spring and Autumn Annals). Taking on students from varied backgrounds, he believed that everyone, not just aristocracy, had a right to knowledge. This ideal became one of his greatest legacies.
Confucius’ teachings were compiled by his disciples in The Analects (论语, Lúnyǔ), a collection of 497 aphorisms. Though he claimed to be merely transmitting the ideals of an ancient golden age, Confucius was in fact China’s first humanist philosopher, upholding morality (humaneness, righteousness and virtue) and self-cultivation as the basis for social order. ‘What you do not wish for yourself,’ he said, ‘do not do to others.’
zFestivals & Events
Every morning at 8am, following a recitation, a costumed procession raucously walks up Shendao Lu from Jingxian Lu to the main gate to officially open the city.
Confucius Temple holds two major festivals a year: Tomb Sweeping Day (usually 5 April; celebrations may last all weekend) and the Sage’s Birthday (28 September), both involving elaborate, costumed ceremonies. The city also comes alive with craftspeople, healers, acrobats and peddlers during annual fairs in the spring and autumn.
4Sleeping
As a drawcard town for domestic and Asian tourists, Qūfù is loaded with hotels. This doesn't mean they are necessarily good value for money, but there is a reasonable range of choice, from hostels to smart, five-star options.
oQūfù International Youth HostelHOSTEL$
(曲阜国际青年旅舍, Qūfù Guójì Qīngnián Lǚshè MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 441 8989; Gulou Beijie, 鼓楼北街北首路西 dm/tw/tr ¥45/128/158; aW)
This friendly and popular hostel at the north end of Gulou Beijie has particularly clean rooms. There's bike rental, ticket bookings and a cafe-bar serving Chinese and Western fare and cocktails. Dorms are four to eight beds and share a nice bathroom. Staff speak English and are helpful with travel tips and info.
Fúyuàn HotelHOTEL$$
(福苑酒店, Fúyuàn Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %138 6372 3660; 8 Gulou Beijie, 鼓楼北街8号 s/d incl breakfast ¥198/208; aW)
Smack-bang in the middle of the old town, this hotel's courteous staff make up for a slightly worn look. Go for the 2nd-floor rooms, and avoid the stuffy, windowless economy rooms, which are dispiriting. Discounts up to 40%.
Shangri-La HotelHOTEL$$$
(香阁里拉大酒店 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 505 8888; www.shangri-la.com; 3 Chunqiu Lu,春秋路3号 incl breakfast r ¥805-1035, ste ¥2288; naW)
The Shangri-La is a winning brand, with slick, top-end facilities, kids' activities and impressive buffets. Rooms are stylish and comfortable and service is always polite. It's just south of the old town of Qūfù.
Quèlǐ HotelHOTEL$$$
(阙里宾舍, Quèlǐ Bīnshè MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 486 6400; www.quelihotel.com; 15 Zhonglou Jie, 钟楼街15号 incl breakfast s ¥280-600, d ¥350-460, ste from ¥1000; aW)
For many years the traditional-style four-star Quèlǐ was the fanciest hotel in Qūfù. It has been refurbed but some rooms are still nicer than others. Look at the rooms first. If you want a temple view room, it will cost sightly more.
MAKING COPIES
For millennia, everything from imperial decree
s to poetry, religious scriptures and maps were preserved by carving them into stone. This was done either as an inscription (yin-style) or a relief (yang-style). Copies were made by applying ink to the stone and pressing rice paper onto it, or by tamping a damp sheet of paper into the crevices and allowing it to dry, before patting ink onto the paper’s surface. Over time, even stone would wear and the clearest, best-made prints became works of art themselves. Unfortunately, this prompted unscrupulous collectors to damage carvings to ensure they had the very best copy. These are some of the gouges and scratches you see in many of the most prized tablets and stelae.
5Eating
The local speciality is Kong-family cuisine (孔家菜), which, despite its name, is the furthest thing from home cooking since it developed as a result of all the imperial-style banquets the family threw.
Mù’ēn Lóu Halal Food & DrinkCHINESE ISLAMIC$
(穆恩楼清真餐飲, Mùēn Lóu, Qīngzhēn Cānyǐn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0537 448 3877; Houzuo Jie, 后作街 mains ¥15-68; h8.30am-1.30pm & 5-8.30pm)
A friendly Hui family runs this simple but convenient place behind the Confucius Mansion, serving house specialities like beef spiced with cumin, star anise and turmeric (南前牛肉片; nánqián niúròu piàn; ¥68) and tongue-numbing, spicy tofu (麻辣豆腐; málà dòufu; ¥12).
Qūfù Night MarketMARKET$
(曲阜夜市, Qūfù Yèshì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Wumaci Jie & Gulou Nanjie, 五马祠街鼓楼南街的路口 snacks from ¥3, dishes from ¥9; hfrom 5pm)