Qufu is a county-level city in southwestern Shandong province, East China. It is located about 130 kilometres south of the provincial capital Jinan and 45 km northeast of the prefectural seat at Jining. Qufu has an area of 815 square kilometers, and a total population of 653,000 inhabitants, of which, 188,000 live in urban areas. Qufu is best known as the hometown of Confucius, who is traditionally believed to have been born at nearby Mount Ni.