Image: Kong Yanjin - looking north - P1060200

Description: The area in the Ming (western) part of the Cemetery of Confucius where Dukes of Yansheng, who were the leaders of the Kong clan (55th through 64th generations in the direct line of descent from Confucius, according to an explanatory plaque) and the feudal rulers of Qufu, have been buried. Each of the dukes has his own "spirit road" (shendao), i.e. a a path lined with the statues of feline creatures (cat? lions? tigers?), rams, horses, warriors and officials, concluded with a stele-bearing bixi tortoise, and, finally, the actual tombstone. As elsewhere in China, the tombstones and the bixi normally face south, while the spirit way figures face each other, looking across the path that runs from the south to the north. This photo has a view of the tomb complex of Kong Yanjin, starting from his arch, looking north. The black tablet (which I can't read) may be of later, extraneous, origin.
Title: Kong Yanjin - looking north - P1060200
Credit: Own work
Author: User:Vmenkov
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes