Qufu Three Confucius Sites - Mansion of Confucius.

⛩️From the east gate of the Temple of Confucius, you will come to an old street outside the palace wall, named Que Li Street, from which you can enter the Mansion of Confucius Scenic Area. The Mansion of Confucius, also known as the Mansion of Duke Yansheng, is the mansion where the hereditary Duke Yansheng of Confucius lived. The existing buildings were built in the 10th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1377). The plaque of "Sheng Fu" is hung above the gate, and there are two doors behind the gate, with the plaque of "Saint's Gate" hanging on it, and then there is a screen-style ceremonial gate called "Chong Guang Gate". After bypassing the Chong Guang Gate, there is a hall behind, which is the place where Duke Yansheng received the imperial edict and handled major official duties. Behind the hall is the second hall, also known as the retiring hall, which is the place where Duke Yansheng took a break after the ceremony in the hall. The corridor between the hall and the second hall is lined with red lacquered back benches, which are relics of the Ming Dynasty and have been stored for hundreds of years, known as the Ge Lao Bench. Behind the second hall is the third hall, which is the place where Duke Yansheng handled clan affairs. Further back is the inner house gate, which is the boundary between the front office and the back house, and inside the gate is the place where Duke Yansheng's family lived. The first building behind the inner house gate is the front upper room, which is the living room of the Mansion of Confucius to receive close relatives and close clansmen, and it is also the place for holding wedding and funeral ceremonies. Turn west into the flower hall, which is the place for family activities. After passing through the flower hall and the school house, you will come to the back hall building, the back east building and the back five rooms. The back hall building was originally the place where Duke Yansheng's family lived, and it is now arranged as the scene of the life of Kong Decheng, the 77th generation of the eldest son, after marriage. Finally, you will come to the back garden, which was built in the Ming Dynasty, with rockery pools and ancient tree pavilions. Kong Decheng is the 31st generation, that is, the last Duke Yansheng. With the victory of the 1911 Revolution, the feudal imperial system that lasted for thousands of years was broken, and the title of Duke Yansheng also lost its foundation. In the 24th year of the Republic of China (1935), Kong Decheng voluntarily requested the Nanjing Nationalist Government to revoke the title of "Duke Yansheng". The Nationalist Government believed that the Taoist tradition could not be abolished, so it was changed to "Dacheng Zhisheng Xianshi Fengsi Guan". After Confucius's death, his descendants lived in the simple old house in Que Li to worship Confucius, and built houses according to the temple. With the rise of Confucius's status, the scale of the Mansion of Confucius also expanded. In the second year of Zhihe in the Song Dynasty (1055), Emperor Renzong adopted the advice of the minister, conferred the title of "Duke Yansheng", and ordered hereditary, and the Mansion of Duke Yansheng was built.