The area in the Ming (western) part of the Cemetery of Confucius where Dukes of Yansheng, who were the leaders of the Kong clan (55th through 64th generations in the direct line of descent from Confucius, according to an explanatory plaque) and the feudal rulers of Qufu, have been buried. Each of the dukes has his own "spirit road" (<i>shendao</i>), i.e. a  a path lined  with the statues of feline creatures (cat? lions? tigers?), rams, horses, warriors and officials, concluded with  a stele-bearing <i>bixi</i> tortoise, and, finally,  the actual tombstone. As elsewhere in China, the tombstones and the bixi normally face south, while the spirit way figures face each other, looking across the path that runs from the south to the north.<br><br>This photo shows the bixi, two officials (military and civilian), and the horses of the  tomb  of Kong Hongxu, seen from the north. In the background left one can see the back side of the torotoise of Kong Hongxu's father and south-eastern neighbor, Kong Chengqing (60th generation)
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Vmenkov" title="User:Vmenkov">User:Vmenkov</a>
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<span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>