The temple complex built around Confucius's former home grew into one of the largest ancient building complexes in China, and the family it commemorates kept one of the longest continuous genealogical records in the world.
Second only to the Forbidden City
The Temple of Confucius at Qufu was expanded by successive dynasties from Confucius's original modest residence into a vast complex of halls, gates and courtyards, frequently cited as the second largest surviving ancient architectural complex in China after the Forbidden City itself, an expansion driven by centuries of imperial patronage rather than a single building campaign.
A family tree kept for two and a half thousand years
The Kong family, descendants of Confucius, maintained a continuously updated genealogical record tracing direct lineage back to Confucius himself, a document regarded as among the longest sustained family genealogies documented anywhere in the world, with revisions and additions continuing into the present day.
As this entry's companion article covers
The 1966 desecration of the family cemetery and temple during the Cultural Revolution, when Red Guards attacked graves and relics associated with Confucius as a symbol of the old order, is addressed directly in this entry's companion article rather than repeated here.