The Classic Chinese Studies Miniature Book Series — featuring a selection of Confucian classic masterpieces, compiled into 12 volumes, including The Spring and Autumn Annals, The Analects, Mencius, The Great Learning & The Doctrine of the Mean, Yanzi, Zuo Commentary, The Classic of Filial Piety, The Book of Songs, The Book of Changes, The Three Character Classic, Zengzi, and The Book of Documents. Each book is a pocket-sized edition,…
Boxwood Carving Ruyi — Crafted from the precious boxwood of Qufu using traditional folk craftsmanship, this is an enduring high-end gift. Qufu is the hometown of Confucius, a renowned historical and cultural figure. Known worldwide as the land of sages and a place of etiquette, Qufu treasures the boxwood carving Ruyi as one of its Three Treasures — a unique handcrafted...
Screen with the Analects of Confucius — In front stands a statue of Confucius teaching, and behind it is a six-fold screen engraved with the full text of the Analects of Confucius. Placed on bookshelves or desks, it is a culturally rich handicraft. …
Qufu Confucius (CD-ROM) — This set of CDs provides a detailed introduction to the various scenic spots within the Temple of Confucius, the Cemetery of Confucius, and the Kong Family Mansion, and interprets the Confucius Worship Ceremony during the International Confucius Cultural Festival. It is essential material for understanding the Three Confucian Sites and getting closer to Confucius. …
The Rosewood Confucius Mansion Cultural Treasure is crafted from premium red rosewood. The four sides of the pen holder are intricately carved with the images of Confucius, the Supreme Sage and Exemplar of Teachers; Mencius, the Second Sage; Yan Hui, the Repeated Sage; and Zengzi, the Ancestral Sage. The rulers are inscribed with couplets composed by Ji Xiaolan, a Qing Dynasty grand secretary, for the Confucius Mansion: “Prospering with the nation, a noble house of wealth and honor” and “Eternal as heaven, a sage’s home of literary virtue.” The inkstone features a carving of Confucius giving a lecture. This meticulously crafted piece, made from exquisite materials, vividly portrays the grace of the sages of Confucianism. The “Confucius Mansion Cultural Treasure” won the Gold Award at the 8th Shandong Provincial Tourism Commodity Innovation Design Competition and holds significant value for both collection and artistic appreciation.
The *Saintly Deeds of Confucius* is a surviving (Ming Dynasty) silk hand-painted comic strip in China. It is primarily based on “Records of the Grand Historian: The House of Confucius,” with much of the text drawn directly from the original work. The illustrations depict key events in Confucius’s life. The title was inscribed by Wen Zhengming, one of the two great Ming Dynasty painters and calligraphers, while Qiu Ying meticulously painted the images. The colors are vivid, and the figures are lifelike...
The Kong Family Mansion Hetian Jade Ruyi is crafted from the rare and precious Xinjiang Hetian jade. Known for gathering the essence of the sun and moon, and embodying the spirit of mountains and rivers, Hetian jade is rich, moist, and lustrous—truly a miraculous treasure of nature. Hence, the “Book of Changes” (Zhouyi) refers to it as an object of “auspiciousness.” Confucius spoke of jade possessing the “Ten Virtues”: propriety, righteousness, benevolence, wisdom, trust, heaven, earth, knowledge, joy, and harmony...
【Dahuguo Dan Apricot】Also known as “Badan Apricot,” this is a rare and valuable variety that is both fruit- and kernel-bearing, and is a specialty of Qufu. The apricots are elongated in shape, orange-yellow in color, and relatively large, averaging 75 grams per fruit, with some reaching over 80 grams. The flesh is abundant, fine-grained, tender, and pleasantly sweet and tangy, with a high sugar content. The pits are round and have thin shells that easily separate from the flesh…
Jizhuang Green Pears, also known as Jizhuang Cha Zi Pears, are produced in the areas of Jizhuang and Wanliuzhuang in Fangshan Township and have a long history of cultivation. These pears are greenish-yellow in color, with sparse, plump, short spots. They are large in size, with fine white flesh, small seeds, and no core residue. They are fragrant, crisp, sweet, and known to help eliminate food stagnation and relieve depression, clear heat and soothe the lungs, dissolve phlegm and relieve coughing, strengthen the spleen and promote urination. They are crisp, sweet, and delicious. …
The Kong Family Mansion Banquet was an exquisite high-end feast specially prepared by the Kong Family Mansion to receive distinguished guests, mark the succession of titles, ancestral worship days, birthdays, weddings, and funerals. It features strictly selected ingredients, meticulous preparation, and is based on northern Chinese cuisine, forming an important part of Shandong cuisine. Over hundreds of years, it gradually developed into a unique style through extensive absorption and continuous innovation of culinary techniques from across the country...
【Stir-fried Bean Sprout Strips with Hot Oil】A traditional classic dish of the Kong Family Mansion. Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong visited the Confucius Temple to offer sacrifices, he grew tired of the rich and luxurious delicacies served all day long, lost his appetite, and became rather displeased. The Duke of Yansheng (the hereditary head of the Kong clan), feeling uneasy about this, instructed the kitchen to prepare something more palatable. After much deliberation, the chefs decided to use crisp mung bean sprouts. In making the dish, they pinched off...
【Braised Fish Bones of the First Emperor】A traditional famous dish from the Confucius Mansion. Legend has it that when Qin Shi Huang “burned books and buried Confucian scholars alive,” the Confucian school founded by Confucius suffered greatly, and descendants of the Kong family never forgot this injustice. Later, a dish made by braising mandarin fish bones with the fish itself appeared in the cuisine of the Confucius Mansion, named “Braised Fish Bones of the First Emperor,” which plays on the homophone: “fish bones” implying “remaining bones”...
【Embracing Carp】A famous dish from the Confucius Mansion. When Confucius had a son, the Duke of Lu sent him a carp as a congratulatory gift, prompting Confucius to name his son “Li” (meaning carp). Confucius doted on his son, but Li died young, which deeply saddened the philosopher. After Confucius passed away, following his wishes, his son was reburied in front and to the left of Confucius’ tomb to create an embrace-like formation. Later, Confucius’ grandson “Ji” (who was also the teacher of Mencius) was buried in front of Confucius’ tomb. This burial arrangement came to be known as “embracing the child and holding the grandchild,” and has become one of the notable historic sites in the Confucius Forest. The Confucius Mansion dish “Embracing Carp” derives its name from this tradition. For a long time, this dish has been regarded as a classic and traditional delicacy served at Confucius Mansion banquets and is prepared using a dedicated fishpond.
【"Shou" Character Duck Soup】A must-have dish served during grand birthday celebrations at the Confucius Mansion. The bowl contains a clear and transparent triple-broth soup, with light red diced duck, jade-white diced winter bamboo shoots, and light gray sliced mushrooms. In the center stands a 15-centimeter-diameter, 1-centimeter-thick column of egg white, atop which is arranged a "Shou" (longevity) character made from ham. The white background with the red character resembles a...
【Seven-Treasure Tofu】A home-style dish from the Confucius Mansion. The tofu is cut into seven pieces of different shapes, deep-fried in hot oil until golden apricot in color, then removed and arranged on a plate. In a wok, heat oil and sauté minced scallions and garlic until fragrant. Add sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and water, bring to a boil, thicken with a cornstarch slurry, and pour over the tofu. Sprinkle with dried shrimp to serve. …
【Dark Clouds Supporting the Moon】A dish from Confucius Mansion Cuisine. It is a soup dish served in individual bowls, considered a type of mouthful soup bowl at banquets, also known as an appetizer upon entering. Sometimes it can also be served in a larger soup bowl. To prepare, tear nori seaweed into five pieces, soak them in cold water, and place them in the serving bowl. In a ladle, bring clear water to a boil, crack an egg into a bowl, then pour it into the boiling water to form a round poached egg...
【Nine-Layer Chicken Tower】A classic home-style dish from the Confucius Mansion. It primarily consists of minced chicken, layered alternately with cabbage leaves, pork fat, and starch flour, stacked one by one, then wrapped in pork caul fat, totaling nine layers — hence the name. First, mince the chicken breast and pork fat together. Mix in mashed scallion and pepper, fine salt, eggs, and clear broth until well blended. Blanch the cabbage leaves. Cut the pork back fat into long…
【Premium Meatballs】A home-style dish from the Confucius Mansion. Wash pork, cut into small cubes, and mix with minced scallions and ginger, egg white, salt, cooking wine, wet starch, and sesame oil. Then add diced ham, diced mushrooms, and snow peas, mixing well to form a large flat round meatball. Deep-fry in hot oil until light red and remove. Cut scallion segments and deep-fry them in hot oil until light red as well...
【Shrimp with Imperial Ribbon】This dish has a long history of preparation and is a classic home-style dish of the Confucius Mansion. It features large green shrimp as the main ingredient. The heads and tails are removed, leaving a ring of shell around the middle while the rest of the shell is discarded. After being pan-fried, the shrimp meat turns white and the remaining shell ring appears red, resembling an imperial sash—hence the name. In the cooking process, the pan-fried shrimp are then stir-fried together with diced sea cucumber, diced water chestnut, green peas, and diced cattail shoots...
【Flower Basket Fish】A traditional roasted dish from the Confucius Mansion. The mandarin fish is scored on both sides; the front is spread with minced fish paste, while the back is embedded with slices of ham. It is then wrapped in pork caul fat (the lacy thin membrane from the surface layer of pork fat), which is further covered with a layer of soft dough. The package is slowly roasted in an oven. During the roasting process, the fish’s juices are preserved by the dough wrapping and do not leak out, while the pork caul fat melts and permeates the fish. After roasting, the dough is removed, and the fish is served with minced ginger and vinegar, making it a unique delicacy of the Confucius Mansion.