A group of journalists from the world's major media organizations paid a visit to the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu, Shandong province on Oct 18, in a bid to learn more about the Confucius, a great philosopher, politician and educator of China.

The three Confucius sites were added to UNESCO's World Natural Heritage list in December, 1994.

The journalists, jointly invited by the Jining municipal government and China Daily, were taking part in a four-day fact-finding tour of Jining, exploring the city's achievements in protecting traditional culture, replacing old growth drivers with new ones and rural revitalization over 40 years of reform and opening up.

Foreign journalists pose for a group photo in front of a memorial gate in Confucius Temple in Qufu, a county-level city in Jining, Shandong province, Oct 18. The temple in Qufu is the largest and most renowned one to the famous thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism, who lived at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Foreign reporters appreciate the historical stone carvings in Confucius Temple in Qufu, a county-level city in Jining, Shandong province, Oct 18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A foreign reporter poses for a photo with the historical mural of kylin, a Chinese mythical creature in Confucius Temple in Qufu, a county-level city in Jining, Shandong province, Oct 18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]