The night view of a gate leading to the depth of the Confucius Temple in Qufu, a county-level city of Jining, Shandong province. [Photo by VCG]

The ancient wall and gate of the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion is bathed in morning sunlight in Qufu, a county-level city of Jining, Shandong province. [Photo by VCG]

The sun descends over the ancient memorial archway at the Cemetery of Confucius. The Cemetery of Confucius (Kong Lin) is the family cemetery of Confucius and his descendants. Covering an area of 183.33 hectares, it has more than 100,000 graves. In use for more than 2,400 years, the complex is the oldest family cemetery in the world. [Photo by VCG]