The area in the Ming (western) part of the Cemetery of Confucius where the ten Dukes of Yansheng, who were the leaders of the Kong clan (55th through 64th generation in the direct line of descent from Confucius) and the feudal rulers of Qufu, have been buried. Each of the ten dukes appears to have 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  
<p>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.
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(Part of) the spirit way of Kong Hongtai, a 61st generation direct descendant of Confucius (Duke Yansheng). Looking from the WNW; the path runs from the south to the north, i.e., in the picture from the right to the left: from the arch (not seen in the photo - its bveyond the right edge of the frame), by the turtle-borne stele (right), and then between the two stone officials facing each other (center). The main stele is dated 12 Chenghua, 12th month, 22nd day,  which would be around January 1476 AD. The figures in the far background (i.e., east of this spirit way)  belong to his older brother, Kong Hongxu, who had been Duke Yansheng until being dismissed from this post and replaced by Kong Hongtai.
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<span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>