The ancient birthplace of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius will be preserved under a 7.5 million yuan ($1.2 million) investment loan.

The Confucius Temple in Nishan Mountain in Shandong province in East China, will have a leaking roof fixed, subsidence prevention work, and old trees preserved under the plan.

The site, originally built in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386 - 534), covers an area of 1.6 hectares with a total building space of 1,700 square meters.

The project is part of the Shandong Confucius and Mencius Cultural Heritage Conservation, financed by a World Bank loan.