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National Geographic : 1919 Sep
Contents
SHANTUNG-CHINA'S HOLY LAND paid our respects to him and, by virtue of a considerable fee to his subordinates, having obtained permission to visit this ancient burying ground, we go from the north gate of the city for about a mile along a wide avenue lined with cypress trees. We pass a striking archway erected to the memory of a virtuous widow by her family, who took advantage of the ex traordinary publicity of this avenue to secure for their beloved extra recognition. WHERE THOUSANDS OF THE PHILOS OPHER'S DESCENDANTS ARE BURIED The portal to Sheng-ling, built in its present form in 1755 by the seventy-first lineal descendant of Confucius, gives ac cess to a park-like enclosure of over 500 acres, containing the sepulcher of the Sage and of all his descendants. The total is undoubtedly several tens of thou sands of graves. When a family holds together for 2,500 years, it grows into a big concern-about 70 per cent of the population in these parts, even the sol diers sent as escorts, claiming member ship in the clan. The park is cared for by 200 attendants, whose families have inherited this duty for many hundreds of years. From the outer entrance of the "Grove of the True Sage" an avenue of fine and ancient cypresses, about 150 on a side, leads to an inner inclosure, where are halls for worship and monuments of im perial visits from the Sung Dynasty down. There are some fine archways, and the buildings are not to be despised, but the really striking feature of the whole place is the splendor of the ancient trees. As one passes inward the monuments become more and more ancient. The as pects of the park are rather those of age than of neglect. Presently we come to "The Holy Way," closed in by walls like "The Emperor's Way" from one palace building to another, thus denoting the im perial ranking of the Sage. WHERE CONFUCIUS AND HIS SON SLEEP Finally, in very nearly the center of the whole inclosure, we come to two hillocks that cover the remains of Confucius and his son. In front of each is a simple stone altar and an inscribed pillar, the one before that of the Sage himself read ing "Most Holy Ancient Teacher." It is said that the earth forming the mound covering the body of Confucius has been brought from each of the eigh teen provinces of the Empire. However that may be, it is certainly true that the influence of the Sage has been and still is felt throughout the whole extent of the great country; and the prophet himself, while in these latter radical days some what dusty, still bears on his shoulders the vast commonwealth of China, whose moral basis, with all its deficiencies, is surely a great memorial to a great and wonderful man. Besides the Confucian temple and cem etery at Kiifu, there are sanctuaries in honor of Yentzu, the favorite disciple and companion of the Sage, and in honor of Chou Kung, founder of the Duchy of Lu. Also seventeen miles south of Kiifu lies Tsowhsien, where Mencius, the great expounder of Confucius, was born (B. C. 361), and there we find suitable temples in his honor and proper preservation of his grave. But space does not permit a more detailed reference to these, nor in comparison with the memorials of Con fucius are they of any considerable value. Evening shadows had already over taken us because of our long delay before the shrine of the wisest of the wise men of China, and in order to make sure of accomplishing our return journey to Tsi ning in one day, we made an early morn ing start from Kiifu and by 9 o'clock had reached Yenchow. THE GRAND CANAL, BEGUN 2,500 YEARS AGO By dint of hard traveling during the rest of the day, we reached Tsining, on the Grand Canal, at nightfall, and found to our delight that a good missionary there had already arranged for the hire of a roomy house-boat on which to make the descent of the canal, though, to judge by the looks of the sail, it would take us a long time to go the 500 miles to the Yangtze; but we did cover that distance in about fifteen days, the last stage being made by steam-launch. 249
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