When and where was Confucius born?
Confucius was born on the 28th of September 551 BCE in the town of Zou. This location sits within modern Qufu, Shandong province.
Questions about Confucius
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What happened to Confucius in 497 BCE?
Confucius departed his homeland in 497 BCE into self-exile after Duke Ding failed to raze the walls of Cheng. He could not return as long as Viscount Ji Huan remained alive.
How did Emperor Wu of Han promote Confucianism?
Confucianism gained widespread prominence under Emperor Wu of Han in 136 BCE when works attributed to him became required reading for civil service examinations. This requirement continued nearly unbroken until imperial China ended in 1912.
Who translated Confucius's works into European languages during the late Ming dynasty?
Jesuit missionaries introduced these works to Europe during the late Ming dynasty with a team including Prospero Intorcetta and Philippe Couplet publishing a translation in Paris in 1687. François Noël completed the Confucian canon at Prague in 1711.
Why was Confucius targeted during the Cultural Revolution in China?
Anti-Confucian sentiment increased further in 1973 when Mao Zedong started a new movement that branded Confucius with the punning name Kong Lao'er meaning Second Master Kong. His execution of Shaozheng Mao was seen as bourgeois power games and all Confucian ceremonies and rites were banned during this period.
How many descendants does Confucius have today according to the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee?
Two million known descendants are registered with the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee while estimates suggest three million exist in total across the world. A project tested DNA of collateral branches to identify a common Y chromosome though many collateral branches decided not to agree to testing in 2009.