Qufu

Qufu 曲阜市
County-level city
Qufu's south gate
Qufu Location in Shandong
Coordinates: 35°36′N 117°02′E / 35.600°N 117.033°E / 35.600; 117.033Coordinates: 35°36′N 117°02′E / 35.600°N 117.033°E / 35.600; 117.033
Country	China
Province	Shandong
Prefecture-level city	Jining
Elevation	65 m (214 ft)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)

Qufu
"Qufu" in Chinese characters
Chinese	曲阜
Literal meaning	"Crooked Hill"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Qūfù Gwoyeu Romatzyh Chiufuh Wade–Giles Ch'ü1-fu4 IPA [tɕʰý.fû] Wu Suzhounese Chioh-vêu Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Kūk-fauh Jyutping Kuk1-fau6 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Khek-pu Tâi-lô Khik-pū Middle Chinese Middle Chinese kʰjowk bjúw Old Chinese Baxter-Sagart *kʰ(r)ok [b](r)uʔ

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Location	China
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iv, vi
Reference	704
UNESCO region	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1994 (18th Session)

Qufu (pronounced [tɕʰý.fû]; Chinese: 曲阜) is a city in southwestern Shandong Province, near the eastern coast of China. It is located about 130 kilometres (81 mi) south of the provincial capital Jinan and 45 kilometres (28 mi) northeast of the prefectural seat at Jining. Qufu has an urban population of about 60,000, and the entire administrative region has about 650,000 inhabitants.

Qufu is best known as the hometown of Confucius, who is traditionally believed to have been born at nearby Mount Ni. The city contains numerous historic palaces, temples and cemeteries. The three most famous cultural sites of the city, collectively known as San Kong (三孔), i.e. "The Three Confucian [sites]", are the Temple of Confucius (Chinese: ; pinyin: ), the Cemetery of Confucius (Chinese: ; pinyin: ), and the Kong Family Mansion (Chinese: ; pinyin: ). Together, these three sites have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.

The name Qufu literally means "crooked hill", and refers to a mile-long hill that was part of the city during its time as capital of the state of Lu.

During the Shang, the area around Qufu was home to the people of Yan, who were counted by the Chinese among the "Eastern Barbarians" or Dongyi. Along with Pugu (around Binzhou) and Xu (along the Huai River), Yan joined the Shang prince Wu Geng and the Three Guards in their failed rebellion against the Duke of Zhou c. 1142 BC. After the rebels' defeat, the Duke launched punitive campaigns against the Dongyi, forcing their submission and placing their territory under loyal nobles. The territory of the Yan became part of the state of Lu, who made Qufu their capital throughout the Spring and Autumn period. This city had walls considerably larger than the present Ming-era fortifications, including more land to the east and north.