Confucian Cemetery, also known as the Confucius Forest is one of the symbol attractions in Qufu of Shandong Province. For its cohort of hundreds of peaceful cypress trees, it is both the largest artificial park and the best preserved ancient cemetery in China. It is said that the Cemetery is not only a natural museum but also a chronicle of Confucian. So if you are interested in Confucianism, here is the must-see.

Walking to the north outside the Qufu city visitors will see a cypress-lined path called sacred way, where stands a Wanguchangchun Memorial Archway. Supported by six stone pillars, on each side of the archway there sit six stone lions. In the east and west side of this memorial archway stand the emerald-tiled pavilions. In each pavilion there erected a stone tablet. The sacred way is 1,266 meters leading to the cemetery. At the end of the path stands a wooden memorial archway called the Most Sacred Cemetery - the gate to the Confucian Cemetery. Covering an area of 2000 square meters, Confucian Cemetery is much bigger than the Qufu city. The wall of the cemetery is 7.25 kilometers long, 3 meters tall and 5 meters thick.

As the clan cemetery, burial has been uninterrupted during the 2000 years since the Spring and Autumn period. After Confucius death in 479 BC, most of his descendants and clansmen were buried in the cemetery including the tombs of his son Kong Li and grandson Kong Ji. The circumference of the tomb of Confucius is 88 meters with the height of 6.2 meters, so it has been expanding ever since.

Besides the tomb of Confucius, in Confucian Cemetery visitors will also see a number of sculptures from the Ming and Qing Dynasties as the decorations of the site. Meanwhile the Confucian Cemetery is also a large botanical garden with over 42,000 trees planted in it, most of which were planted 2,400 years ago. It is said that the disciples of Confucius had moved the trees from their hometown to the cemetery and that is why we can find so many different kinds of trees there today. As yet, some of the trees are even strange for common people.

With such a long history and profound culture, the Confucian Cemetery is the must-see during your tour in Qufu City.