Qufu

A day in Qufu, but first we had to get there. We were directed to the train station where there were waiting minibuses to take us to Qufu. Unfortunately, it was the “fill the bus before you leave” principle and we waited for 1-½ hours for our 1 hour and 15 minute bus ride. Then, to add insult to injury, we had to pick up every one on the road to Qufu (along with all their baggage). The road was lined with cheap souvenir stands selling stone carvings and massaggee chickees sitting on chairs plying their wares. Between the hawkering and smoking and the cramped quarters, it was a relief to get off the bus even though it was pouring rain. We planned our exit first and found the long distance bus station and got the bus schedule. Then, we stopped for a quick lunch at the Confucius Mansions Hotel (where “Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?”) It was another lunch of kung pao chicken (it seemed to be the only thing that is universally understood across China).
We took a taxi (all of the meters in Qufu were broken..) to the Confucian Forest. It was an amazing site- the cemetery of the family of Confucius. It was filled with pine and cypress trees and was surrounded by a wall 10 km long.

We got to see the grave of Confucius himself, a simple grass mound enclosed by a low wall. Nearby his sons were buried. The forest was spectacular and very beautiful- but the touts were horrifying. Old women would try to sell you trinkets, following you for what seemed like forever, grabbing at your arm. We tried the umbrella defense (using our umbrellas to shield our faces). For the huge line of vendors on the approach to the forest, John invented the echo defense. Since they only know “Hello”, we simply echoed “Hello” to their “Hello”. Since there was nothing else they could say, it became a contest of who would stop saying it first.
Our next stop was the Confucius Temple, which started out as a simple memorial hall and mushroomed into a complex 1/5th the size of Qufu. There were huge extensions made during the Ming and Qing dynasties, making it a full kilometer long. In between the temple building were gnarled pines and cypress trees and more than 1000 steles. The columns of the Dacheng Hall had dragon-coiled columns that were so beautiful it was said that they had to be covered with silk when the Emperor came to Qufu lest he felt that the Forbidden City paled in comparison.

Next to the Temple was the Confucius Mansions, dating from the 16th C Ming Dynasty. The mansions were a maze of 450 halls and represent the most aristocratic lodgings in China. The descendants of Confucius were treated like royalty (with servants and 180 course meals). The last inhabitant (the last Kong) to live in the Mansions was the 77th generation. He fled to Taiwan in the 1940’s.
T

he rain started again, so we decided to try our luck with the long distance 3:20 bus. We got our tickets and got on the bus...and waited and waited and waited. About an hour later, we finally left with our group of hawkering companions (one of them peeled his boiled egg and left the peel on the floor). Another public transportation memory builder.

We decided to try the Overseas Chinese Hotel for dinner and were horrified by the feeling of “State run institution”, so we headed back to our hotel. The hotel parking lot was filled with black Audi’s and drivers. Inside the restaurant, the tables were packed with party men drinking beer and hard liquor and eating tons of food. The restaurant concept was unusual. You went to a wall of plates covered with plastic wrap, picked your food from the selection and it was cooked to order. We actually picked well and had a spectacular dinner (more kung pao chicken) and all for a mere 26 yuan.

Note- the proletariat took over China and the children of these people have formed a new ruling class- the children of peasants are now running the show in China. You can see it in their dress, their mannerisms and the horrifying behavior (loud talking and hawkering and belching)