At Qufu I learned a little about the Cultural Revolution in China. During this time there was a group of radicals who wanted a stronger newer China. They were against Confucius and Mengzi beliefs. As a result they broken and burned many of the tablets. However, the government repaired as much damage as possible and now many of the tablets are still very readable, however the damage they did is visible of most pieces.
During this trip our class visited Mount Tai. I learned Confucius once climbed this mountain. For thousands of years Chinese people would go to Mount Tai to worship the God of Mount Tai (Dai Miao). Near the top there is a very large and old stone carving on the mountain. This stone carving was on the mountain for over 1,000 years old. However, it was kept secret by the temple that once stood on top of the mountain. This temple was destroyed by the Japanese in WWII. Afterwards the tone carving on the mountain could no longer be secret. The carvings are very clear, and almost seems as if it was carved on the mountain only a few years ago.