Confucius
Confucius was born in or around 551 BC in or near the city of Qufu, in what is modern day Shandong, into a poor but noble warrior family. His father, Kong He, died when he was only three years old and he was brought up by his mother, Yan Zheng. Some accounts state that Confucius was the result of an illegitimate union between the two. Confucius married a young girl, Qi Guan, at nineteen. His first child, Kong Li, was born a year later.
Confucius’s heritage linked him to a growing intermediate...
