Entrance Gate

Confucius Cemetery, Qufu

The main entrance gate to the cemetery proper is located at the end of the processional pathway (previous page; we have skipped over a gaudy intermediate gate). Its inscription, in the ancient seal script, reads: "Grove of the Great Sage." It was the custom from ancient times for disciples to plant trees in the cemetery, to honor the Teacher; numbers ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 trees are quoted in various sources. Thus it seems that the forest (lin; perhaps "grove" is the better translation) is more man-made than natural, having grown - like the Temple and the Mansion - gradually over the centuries from humbler beginnings.