Qufu, also known as the "sacred city" of the East, is one of China's most famous historic cities of culture. It is the birthplace of Confucius. It is also the place where Confucius gave his lectures, the place where he was buried in 479 BC, and the place where people offer sacrifices to him. Mencius, another famous thinker and educationist, and a pupil of the great sage himself, was also born in Qufu.