Category:Tombs of Duke Yansheng in the Ming Dynasty

English: 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" (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.
The relative location of the photographed tombs in the main section can be approximately given by the following chart, with the generation number and the personal name of the deceased given in each cell. The family name "Kong" is omitted to save space.

English: The tomb of Kong Shangtan is in a different, later, section, some 500 m to the northeast