Temple of Confucius

    Located inside the south gate of Qufu, Shandong, the Temple of Confucius is a group of grand buildings built in oriental style. Together with the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Mountain Resort of Chengde , the Temple of Confucius in Qufu is one of the three largest ancient architectural complexes in China. The Temple started as three houses in the year of 478 BC, the second year after the death of Confucius. Each year as Confucianism became the standard of Chinese culture, the scale of the Temple was expanded accordingly. Sacrifices were often offered to the sage, either by Emperors themselves, or by emperor-appointed high officials. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Emperor Qianlong offered sacrifices here eight times.