On a spring morning in 497 BC, Confucius bid farewell to the Lu capital with his disciples, embarking on a great “study tour” journey that would last fourteen years... During their travels, Confucius and his students broadened their horizons, expanded their knowledge, and cultivated their character in nature’s grand classroom, marking one of the most poetic beginnings of educational travel.
Nowadays, walking under the winter sun toward the Qufu Three Confucian Sites for an educational trip has become a new journey of learning through experience and chasing dreams for many students. Stepping out of the classroom, getting close to Confucius, studying the Six Arts, and paying homage to the great master—though it's the traditional off-season for tourism—the study travel market at the Qufu Three Confucian Sites remains booming. Groups of hundreds or even thousands of students arrive one after another. From the foot of the Ten-Thousand-Ren Palace Wall to the front of the Dacheng Hall, from the main hall of the Confucius Mansion to its backyard garden, everywhere you see children exploring with curiosity. They crave knowledge and freely draw from the ocean of traditional culture; they speak their minds, raising questions to the guides; they cheer and eagerly take notes, capturing these rare, firsthand experiences in their lives...
The Qufu Three Confucian Sites have long been involved in the study travel market. As early as 2006, Qufu hosted the first Confucius Study Tourism Festival. As China’s first study tourism festival and also the first themed around Confucian culture, it was well received by students, parents, and schools. It has been held for fourteen consecutive years, gaining positive market feedback and social impact. On January 25, 2016, the National Tourism Administration issued the “Notice on the Announcement of the First Batch of ‘China Study Travel Destinations’ and ‘National Study Travel Demonstration Bases.’” Qufu was honored as one of the first “China Study Travel Destinations,” becoming one of the first ten such destinations in China and the only one in Shandong Province. The “Three Confucian Sites” were simultaneously awarded the title of “National Study Travel Demonstration Base,” also one of the first twenty nationwide and the sole selection from Shandong. In recognition of this, the festival was renamed the Qufu Confucius Study Travel Festival in 2016 and received strong support from higher-level tourism and cultural departments, education authorities, and the municipal Party committee and government.
In recent years, leveraging the Confucius Study Travel Festival as a platform, the Three Confucian Sites have continuously strengthened the integration of cultural and tourism resources and accelerated the innovation of study travel products. Beyond the core offering of “Visiting the ‘Three Confucian Sites’ and Experiencing Confucius,” they have also tailored a series of educational programs with cultural depth, interactivity, and fun based on the needs of student and travel group markets. These include the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Classic Scripture Recital, Confucius Temple Pilgrimage, Praying at the Confucius Temple, the Initiation Ceremony for Learning, and new courses on the Six Arts. Moreover, the Confucian Culture Education Training Center (Yan Hanbo Mansion) has been specially launched, providing visitors with rich and distinctive experiences of the customs and classical Chinese culture of the Lu region: making rubbings, crafting dough figurines, learning tea ceremonies, practicing the guqin. Culturally, participants can wield the brush to paint and write calligraphy; physically, they can draw bows and shoot arrows with precision. The story of “Wearing Out Three Strands of Bamboo Slips” teaches children that constant repetition leads to true understanding; seal carving lets them grasp the idea that a seal symbolizes trust, and words must be kept.
Today, the Qufu Three Confucian Sites, with their long history, profound cultural heritage, splendid historical landmarks, and the enriching life philosophies rooted in Confucian thought, have become the top choice for students seeking to experience the charm of Confucian culture.