Near Tai’an and Mt. Taishan is Qu’fu, where Confucius made his home. (”near” meaning about an hour’s drive away) I know y’all know who Confucius was, so I won’t bother explaining that. We visited Confucius’ house and temple, and also visited the grounds where he and his family are all buried. Tai’an is smaller than Xi’an or Beijing, but it still feels like a city. Qu’fu is even smaller than Tai’an, however, and it definitely had a grungier, more rural feel to it.
People like us are also quite a spectacle in Tai’an and Qu’fu, and I’ve caught more than a few people snapping pictures of people in my group since we’ve been here. We have a little redhead kid and his parents traveling with us, and the people here especially want to take pictures with him… you’d think the kid was a leprechaun or something. 
People in town have been really friendly, though, and they seem genuinely excited to have us visiting them.
Meat! It’s what’s for dinner.
People passing through the old city wall, to the inner part of Qu’fu where Confucius lived.
This sign asks that everyone dismount their horses (or cars) before entering the grounds of Confucius’ home.
The structures at Confucius’ home definitely have an older and more weathered look to them than the monuments in Beijing.
One of the interior rooms at Confucius’ home.
Mister Ma, our guide for our stay in the Tai’an area, explains some of the finer points of Confucius’ home.
These animal sculptures are built into the roof, as protection for the house.
Praying at the altar in Confucius’ temple.
Believers often come to Confucius’ temple to pray that their children do well on their college entrance exams, and there are thousands of these tags left behind at the temple. The one I found written in Spanish (?) is pretty curious.
A lotus flower, in one of the awesome gardens on the grounds. Can’t say I often see these in an up-close, natural state. 
Men making gravestones, presumably for descendants of Confucius’ family.
Confucius’ grave. His ashes are buried in the mound of grass behind the stone marker.
This woman came begging for money. When we tried to tell her we didn’t have any, she pointed to her ear, so we think she might’ve been deaf.
The mold gets the basic details in place for the larger replicas, but then a craftsman adds more detail and texture to it after it’s molded.
Every good warrior needs a horse… so here’s the mold for one. 
This woman is molding a smaller replica of the warrior.
Oh yeah, they also weave rugs at this place, too.
Barbara made a silly comment during the first couple days in Beijing, about how she hadn’t seen a dog since we got to China, except for one that looked like it was about to be dinner. So, I’ve been taking pictures of dogs every time I see one here. 
See? Just two friends saying howdy. D’aaawww. 
This is just Pit 1! This pit showed the largest quantity of intact Warriors.
The dig site stretches out quite a ways, and all of these warriors used to have a wood-and-earthen roof over them.
If I heard correctly, Pits 1 and 2 are sometimes still worked on by archaeologists.
This guy was on display in the building that housed Pit 2. The rank of the warriors is, apparently, easiest to differentiate by their hair: warriors have one knot, mid-ranking officers have a flat-topped hairstyle, and generals have two knots.
Horses and chariots were found at the dig site, too. There were, obviously, ones made with terra cotta, but these guys were made of bronze.
Shopping on the streets is one of the signs that tradition is still alive and well in Beijing. Open air markets can be found next to high-rise hotels, and side streets and alleyways are littered with small shops selling crafts and antiques. And, of course, there’s the process of haggling that’s become tradition in street shops, and that also gets pretty entertaining.
The details in the rooftops and eaves are just crazy.
See how well you sleep with this guy on your ceiling. 
Yep, Chinese doorknobs are cooler than yours.
Fine China in China! (hurhurhur)
This carving ran all the way up the stairs, on the building shown in the previous shot.
Yes, that’s a cleaning lady. The grounds were very tidy.
The police were out in force to make sure we didn’t use this tunnel to exit. I’m assuming it’s because there were three tunnels, and the one in the center was intended only for use by the Emperor. Old habits die hard, apparently. 
![](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2583/3662162705_483f7672d0.jpg?v=0" "Wall")
