Qufu and Confucious

Have you ever heard of the Confucius Analects? I had heard of Confucius or Kongsi before I came to China, but had not heard of or read the Analects. Confucius is important to China. Many of his Analects give you good ideas on how to life. 

Here are just a few that I like and make me think about what I am doing in my life:

"I do not know how a man without truthfulness is to get on. How can a large carriage be made go go without the crossbar for yoking the oxen to, or a small carriage without the arrangement for yoking the horses?"

"When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them."

"If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life."

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

As I read some of his sayings, they confirm my belief in my Savior and in the gospel of Jesus Christ. How grateful I am to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know the believes and live them, the best I can, because I have learned these as a young child and remember to try to do them. I know as I keep trying, getting up when I fall, repent when I make mistakes, I can return to my Heavenly Father and be blessed with all He has! I am grateful to be able to feel the Spirit in my life, too.

The city of Qufu is the birthplace and resting place of Confucius. After our wonderful day in Jinan, we took a bus with the rest of the foreign teachers and some foreign students from Qingdao University to Qufu. We were able to see the Confucius Temple, the Confucius Mansion and the Confucius Cemetery.

 

The above picture is all the students and teachers who went on the trip. The picture below is of just the teachers who went. We have so many teachers at the university, but they could only get 14 to go. It is sad that people won't go. It is hard for Joyce, our waiban. She still wants to continue the trips, but would like more people to come and to hear less complaints. So many people just seem to complain all the time.

 

This is Joyce, our waiban. She takes care of us at the university. She helps us renew our Visas, helped us get set up when we first came last year, plans these trips and pretty much anything we need her to help us with. She is so great!

Two student workers, who volunteer with Joyce to help us. They both speak English very well.

The picture below left, is the name of the gate which is the above right picture. It is the Gate to Success.

Gary standing in front of the Building of Success!

This is the Confucius or Kong cemetery. This place is huge. The road that makes a circle through the cemetery is 9.5 km long. There are so many mounds, which are the graves, and gravestones. It was actually quite a beautiful and peaceful setting. The eldest sons of the first wife are buried here. There are a few women, but they were married to emperors or the first wife. There were many carved animals and statues around the cemetery.

Confucius' tomb is the bottom right picture. He is buried behind and to the right of his son, who is buried behind and left of his son or Confucius' grandson. This was quite an interesting sight to see.

This was our hotel in Qufu. It was a beautiful hotel with a great Chinese breakfast.