Image: Kong Zhengan - felines - P1060126

Description: 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, according to an explanatory plaque) and the feudal rulers of Qufu, have been buried. Each of the ten dukes appears to have his own "spirit road" (shendao), 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 bixi 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. This series of photos were taken near the stele that mentions a 66th-generation descendant of Confucius; so most of statues probably belong to his spirit way.
Title: Kong Zhengan - felines - P1060126
Credit: Own work
Author: User:Vmenkov
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes