We are lucky. Shandong is home not only to the Great Sage Confucius but also to Mengzi, the Second Sage (亚圣 yà shèng). Born 107 years after the death of Confucius, Mengzi carried the banner of Confucianism near the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty. His beliefs about human nature have influenced thousands of years of Chinese history, and his “old home” lies in the city of Zoucheng not far from Confucius’s Qufu. Five sites devoted to Mengzi are located nearby. They are not major tourist sites. Visitors may well find themselves walking alone, as though they had stumbled on a forgotten provincial secret. That is one of their unique charms.

When Mengzi (孟子, aka 'Mencius') was alive during the late Warring States period, the philosophical problem du jour was to figure out how to make order of the era’s political and social chaos. The sense of social decay led many to believe that humans were innately bad or evil, and needed strict laws to keep people honest. Mengzi, however, believed firmly in human goodness.

In the Book of Mengzi, a philosopher named Gaozi debated Mengzi. “Human nature is like water," he said, "Direct it eastwards; it goes east. Direct it westwards; it goes west. Likewise, human nature has no tendency towards goodness or evil.” Mengzi disagreed. “Water has no tendency towards east or west, but what about up and down?”

He continued, “People are innately good, just as water always flows down. Sure, you can strike water and make it fly as high as your forehead. Or you can work it up to the top of a mountain. But is this water’s true nature? No! It is due to the force applied. People, too, can be forced into evil, but this is not their true nature.” The man had a way with words.

Yet it was not until the Southern Song Dynasty (1127- 1229), some 1,500 years after his death, that Mengziwas canonized as a Confucian sage. After centuries of Taoist and Buddhist influence, China was experiencing a Confucian renaissance. This is when the Mengzi Temple and Mengzi Mansion were first built.

To get to these two sites, take a bus to Qufu (5 hours) and then a bus to Zoucheng (30 minutes). Then it's a short taxi ride.

The gates of the Mengzi Temple (孟庙- mèng miào) are tall, red, and mysteriously forbidding. As you walk in, there is a feeling of imperial-era awe. The grounds are all mossy cobblestones, and there are huge cypresses everywhere, some of which twist in poetic expression. Many of them date from the Song Dynasty. The main temple building is magnificent. Rising out of the trees, it seems to blend in with them. One imagines imperial officials performing ceremonies. I saw a woman sweeping the road, and it dawned on me that her job has existed for centuries.

Leaving the temple, a short walk brings you to the Mengzi Mansion (孟府- mèng fǔ), an example of an aristocratic estate from China’s feudal era. Walking through the courtyards and brick-lined hallways one can imagine the splendour of life therein, especially compared to the life of the peasants toiling in the fields outside. Mengzi, it turns out, was very concerned about the masses outside.

Advising one king on the art of kingship, he pointed out that kings have many pleasures to enjoy. Yet if a king can succeed in allowing his people to enjoy such pleasures, then he will truly be a great king.

<今(jīn) 王(wáng) 与(yǔ) 百(bǎi) 姓(xìng) 同(tóng) 乐(lè) 则(zé) 王(wáng) 已(yǐ)

today - king - with - 'the people' - same - happiness - thus - king -

As with Confucius, Mengzi's burial ground is in a forest named after him. As with the other sites, Mengzi Forest (孟林- mèng lín) has a forgotten feel to it. The taxi ride to get there takes about fifteen minutes from the Mengzi Temple.

The burial site is small. There is an imperial-style building, behind which lies a tall stele and incense burner in front of Mengzi’s huge funeral mound. The forest is quite enchanting, nestled at the bottom of a hill with the most bizarre rocks strewn about. I wish we’d had more time to walk around, because a map indicated that there were more sites to see in the forest.

For about ¥50, a taxi will take you there and then to the final two Mengzi sites- Mengzi Mother’s Forest (孟母林) and Mengzi’s Ancient Home (孟子故里), both located in the outskirts of Qufu, in Fu Village ( 凫村).

It so happens that Mengzi's mother is also a very famous character. When Mengzi was born, the family lived near a cemetery - a spooky environment to raise a child. So his mother did an outrageous thing for a woman at that time, and she moved their home. They moved once and then again, finally locating near a school. There Mengzi learned politeness from the scholars. It is said that “Mengzi’s Mother Moved Three Times” (孟母三迁), and for this she is revered as an outstanding Confucian parent.

The forest park named after her is also a burial ground. It is across the street from Fu Village. Once again, punters will find a fascinating place to walk around. With funeral mounds everywhere, the feeling is decidedly mysterious. The Meng family still buries their dead there. Every gravestone says “Second Sage” on the top. One interesting thing was that there were no gravestones from earlier than the 1980’s. Later, we were informed that all of the old ones disappeared during the Cultural Revolution.

Nonetheless, it is striking to see how the tradition of Mengzi is still alive. In Fu Village, I was told that 90% of the people are named Meng. As is commonfor people from famous lineages, everyone knows which generation they are after the originator. All of the people I talked to were from the 70th to 73rd generations.

In the village lies the small Mengzi Mother Temple. When we got there it was closed. A little disappointed, I started talking with a group of men nearby, and they called to an old man. “This guy wants to go in the temple!” He smiled then waved me over. We went to the village house of the guy who had the key. He was happy to open it for us.

Once inside, it looked like it hadn't been opened very often. There were a few shrines, one with Mengzi next to his mother, and dust covered everything. We had a fun time talking to the group of retirees who came to show us around. All were named Meng. We took a group picture, an unusual one for me, with the direct descendents of one of China’s great sages. It was a good end to a trip through some of Shandong's backroads.