Qufu travel guide

Address:

Jingyulong Road, Qufu City

Phone:

0537-4412554

Phone:

0537-4417924

This is the high-grade banquet of the Kong family mansion, used to host distinguished guests and for occasions such as inheriting titles, taking office, sacrificial days, birthdays, weddings and funerals. The Analects (Xiangdang chapter) says: 'Rice should not be too refined, and minced meat should not be too finely chopped,' showing how demanding Confucius was about everyday food. Because successive dynasties honoured Confucius, new chefs kept joining the sacrificial ceremonies each year, so the Kong Family Feast gathers the finest of Lu cuisine and embodies the full range of Chinese flavours. Its emphasis on colour, aroma, taste, shape, name, ingredients and every step of preparation is a major feature. Traditional versions even use camel hooves, bear paws, and fish and shrimp from Weishan Lake, which is why it is so remarkable. The Kong Family Feast includes five great banquets: the Longevity Banquet, Flower Banquet, Reception Banquet, Home-Style Banquet and Manchu-Han Full Banquet.

The dish is delicious and auspicious, and it has become a Qufu specialty in its own right and a must-order at birthday banquets. It consists mainly of longevity noodles and a carp in sauce, and visitors can try it at major restaurants throughout Qufu.

Inspired by the idea of Magu offering longevity (麻姑献寿), the dish spread among the people and became one of Qufu's local specialty snacks. It is shaped like a large, plump fresh peach covered with a red character for longevity (寿). The dish is beautifully presented, and its sweet, refreshing peach-shaped dessert carries the wish 'may your happiness be as boundless as the East Sea and your life as enduring as the South Mountain.'

The name draws on the wish for 'wealth to spare' (富贵有余), since 'fish' (鱼, yú) sounds like 'surplus' (余, yú). The dish combines the freshness of fish with the tenderness of meat, and places special emphasis on knife work and heat control.

The meat is so tender it falls off the bone, the broth is rich and flavourful, and the dish is rich without being greasy. It is a much-loved classic.

• 1. Many local tricycle, horse-cart and taxi drivers will eagerly take tourists to eat the Kong Family Feast, mainly to earn commissions from restaurants. In reality, the Kong Family Feast has nearly been lost. Very few restaurants can make an authentic version, and it is very expensive. Don't expect ten dishes and a soup for ¥100; that price is aimed at tourists. Those who go simply because they have heard of it can still see the elaborate rituals of the Kong Family Feast. 2. Datong Road, Dacheng Road and Kuiquan Road have the most restaurants, and this is where locals go to eat. Prices are fair and the range of flavours is wide, and they are only 500 metres from the Confucius Temple and Kong Family Mansion. After lunch, you can also enjoy the cultural sights along Kuiquan Road and Dacheng Road.

The best four-star hotel in Qufu. The location is excellent: it sits just across a wall from the Confucius Temple and Kong Family Mansion. The lobby and courtyard are very pleasant, service is good, and guests can enjoy traditional song and dance performances. The only drawback is that the facilities are rather old. Still, the hotel's antique architecture complements the Confucius Temple and Kong Family Mansion beautifully, and staying here lets you feel their profound cultural atmosphere.

Address:

No. 1 Quli Street, Qufu City

Phone:

0537-4866400

• Friendly Tip If you visit Qufu during public holidays, Golden Week or the Confucius Culture Festival, be sure to book your room well in advance. After all, worry-free food and lodging makes for a happier trip.

Kai wood is dense yet flexible, and its grain is particularly fine and golden in colour, which makes it ideal for carving walking sticks. Walking sticks and ruyi sceptres are the traditional products of Kai-wood carving.

Also known as stele rubbings. Qufu has many rubbing techniques, but mainly relies on the dabbing method (扑拓), producing clear, fine and beautiful rubbings.

The finest are the Songhua inkstones (松花砚). Each one makes full use of the natural form and veining of the stone. Simple and elegant, a piece on your desk is both practical and beautiful.

The Kong Family Liquor Group uses carefully selected sorghum as its main raw material and follows the old five-steamer mixed steaming technique of the Kong family distillery. The liquor is known for its 'three aromas and three correctnesses': a fragrant scent when you smell it, a fragrant taste when you drink it and a fragrant aftertaste, with correct aroma, correct flavour and correct body.

Kong Family pastries have a long history and a self-contained range of varieties. They excel in colour, aroma, taste and shape, and fall into two categories: those for external use and those for internal use. External-use pastries were mainly presented as tribute, gifts and imperial rewards. Internal-use pastries include seasonal pastries, year-round pastries, pastries for visiting guests, and banquet pastries. In recent years, research into Kong Family pastries has received much attention, and local producers have revived most varieties, so visitors from China and abroad can taste them.

On the east side of the Confucius Temple is a tourist shopping street selling Confucius statues, books about Confucius, rubbings, jade, stone carvings, seals, jewellery and other handicrafts. Anyone who wants souvenirs should not miss a great chance to snap up bargains. Even if you buy nothing, strolling here is great fun.

• When buying a seal, vendors often see tourists purchase one and then try to persuade them to have characters carved. Be careful not to fall into the seller's trap. A price of ¥5 per character will make you do a double take when you pay.