Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, today shines like a rising star within China's cultural tourism scene. The once sleepy city has become a significant place since President Xi Jinping visited it in 2013 and called for strengthening the study and promotion of Confucianism. He saw it as a way for China to look toward its traditional culture for guidance to benefit the country's development. Several recent projects in an around the city have followed on from those pronouncements as I would discover setting out on a quest to discover more of the life and role of Confucius.

Toward the southern edge of urban Qufu a statue rises prominently in front of a recent building completed in grand ceremonial style. This is the Confucius Museum, which officially opened in September this year after a trial run from late November 2018. Covering around 20 hectares of area it boasts a total floor space of 57,000 square meters and a 17,000-square-meter display area.