Confucius was born in 551 BC in the small state of Lu, in what is now Shandong province, and Qufu was his home town. When he died in 479 BC, his disciples buried him on the banks of the Si river, and a small shrine was built to his memory. Over two thousand years, that modest shrine grew into a huge temple complex, rebuilt and enlarged by emperors who wanted to link themselves to the sage whose teachings underpinned the Chinese state. The temple, the Kong family mansion and the Kong Lin, the family cemetery, were listed together by UNESCO in 1994.
The temple, laid out along a long north-south axis with a series of courtyards, gates and cypress groves, resembles an imperial palace in miniature. The Dacheng Hall, the Hall of Great Accomplishment, stands at its centre, raised on a terrace and supported by carved stone dragons, with yellow roof tiles in the imperial colour. Ancient trees, some said to be more than two thousand years old, shade the courtyards, and stone tablets recording imperial visits stand in neat rows. The Kong Family Mansion beside it housed the descendants of Confucius, who held titles for generations, and it is a maze of halls and gardens.
The Kong Lin is the quietest part. It is a forest of old trees, among which lie tens of thousands of tombs, of Confucius and his descendants, with the oldest graves more than two thousand years old. Stone statues of animals and officials line the paths, and the place has a feeling of calm and continuity. Every year, on 28 September, the birthday of Confucius is celebrated in the town with a ceremony of music, dance and offerings.
As for riding, it is worth being realistic. Foreign visitors cannot normally ride their own motorbike in China without special permits, local plates and a guide, so most people come by train or bus, or on a rented scooter where it is legal. Qufu has a high-speed rail station and is about a day trip from Mount Tai. Qufu has fuel, restaurants and hotels, and nearby Yanzhou and Zoucheng, the home town of the philosopher Mencius, add more to see. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, and summer is hot and humid.