I traveled from America in 2009 with 15 educators to study Confucius. Qufu is almost a holy spot for the sage. Climbing Mt. Tai and seeing Chinese tourists visit this place made us realize how Confucius' philosophy still has a strong hold on the modern Chinese. This is a country of very strong contrasts. Farm houses with solar panels, old men on cell phones (they skipped the phone infrastructure). If you are a tourist coming for cheap pearls don't bother coming here. If you are a person who is truly interested in learning about another culture (in Qufu women pedal cabs and make $3 a day) then this is a place you should visit, after Shanghai or Beijing.