Qufu: Confucius' birthplace and historic home

That evening sitting again on my balcony, I absorbed a city going to sleep. There was virtually no sound with tranquility descending such that would indeed allow a very restful night.

Early morning, before dawn, I was photographing from my balcony the moon reflected on the still waters of the Yi River. It was a spellbinding scene of which classical Chinese poets would have surely gained inspiration. Gradually as light started filling the sky, I watched people performing morning exercise within a nearby park amid ginkgo trees wrapped in their delightful autumnal gold and orange. Music, as if from an earlier dynasty, rose up from some of the larger templelike structures. Again, I had this feeling of tranquility I was quickly absorbing in Qufu.