Qufu is one of the counties (cities) under the jurisdiction of Shandong Province, and its administrative division belongs to Jining. In ancient times, it was the capital of the State of Lu and the hometown of Confucius. It was known as the "Holy City of the East" and the "Jerusalem of the East". It is located in the southwest of Shandong Province, 135 kilometers north of Jinan, the provincial capital. It connects Sishui to the east, Yanzhou to the west, Zoucheng to the south, and Mount Tai to the north. The total area is 895.93 square kilometers
. The permanent population is 654,500. Qufu is the hometown of Confucius, the great thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism in ancient China. Qufu is also home to the Confucius Institute, a world center for Confucian research and exchange.
In 1982, Qufu was rated as one of the first batch of national historical and cultural cities; in 1991, it was rated as one of the top 40 tourist attractions in China by the National Tourism Administration; in 1994, Confucius Temple, Confucius Mansion, and Confucius Forest were included in the United Nations' " World Heritage List"; in 1997, the National Tourism Administration identified Qufu as one of China's 35 trump tourist cities.
In December 1998, it was named one of the first batch of China's outstanding tourist cities; in 2004, it was rated as an advanced city in China's cultural relics work; in 2007, Confucius Temple, Confucius Mansion, and Confucius Forest were rated as national AAAAA level tourist attraction. In October 2017, it was named a National Garden City by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
Extended information
In terms of location, Qufu is located in the southwest of Shandong Province, between Beijing and Shanghai, and 135 kilometers north of the provincial capital Jinan. It borders Mount Tai in the north, Fuyi in the south, Sishui in the east, and Yanzhou in the west. The maximum longitudinal distance from north to south is 35.8 kilometers, and the maximum horizontal distance from east to west is 25 kilometers. The total area is 895.93 square kilometers.
Topography: Qufu is surrounded by mountains on three sides in the north, east and south, including Fenghuang Mountain, Jiuxian Mountain, Shimen Mountain, Fangshan Mountain, Nishan Mountain, etc. The plain is located in the transition zone from the mountainous and hilly area in central and southern Shandong to the North China Plain.
It forms the basic terrain of high in the northeast and low in the southwest. The highest point in the territory is Fenghuang Mountain in the north, with an altitude of 548.1 meters. The lowest point is Chengzhuang in the southwest, with an altitude of 47 meters. The center of the city is 60.5 meters above sea level.
Reference materials Baidu Encyclopedia - Qufu