10 Facts About Qufu

1.

Qufu is a city in southwestern Shandong province, East China.

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2.

Qufu is best known as the hometown of Confucius, who is traditionally believed to have been born at nearby Mount Ni.

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3.

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.

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4.

An invitation to come back to Qufu was extended to the southern Duke Yansheng Kong Zhu by the Yuan dynasty Emperor Kublai Khan.

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5.

In 1948, Qufu played a minor role in the Yanzhou Campaign of the Chinese Civil War.

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6.

Artifacts of the historical sites at Qufu suffered extensive damage during the Cultural Revolution when about 200 staff members and students of Beijing Normal University led by Tan Houlan, one of the five most powerful student leaders of the Cultural Revolution, came to Qufu and destroyed more than 6000 artifacts in November 1966.

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7.

Qufu set an example for many emperors and high officials to follow.

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8.

The corpse of the 76th Duke of Qufu was removed from its grave, hung naked from a tree in front of the palace and later incinerated.

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9.

Qufu has benefited greatly from tourism, holding a number of cultural festivals and exhibitions, largely centered around Confucius.

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10.

Qufu is a traditional centre of Confucianism, being the area where Confucius was born.

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