I´m not that well-versed in Confucianism, so this video about a purported direct lineal descendant of the famed Master Kong was actually interesting. The short story is that alleged descendants of Confucius held important positions at various imperial Chinese courts for centuries.
But are their claims to be descended from the old sage really true? Here some skepticism in clearly in order, since the first "official" lineage-holder (known as the Duke of Yansheng) wasn´t appointed until 1,500 years after the time of Confucius. At one point in Chinese history, there seems to have been three "dukes", appointed by rival dynasties (one of them Mongol)!
Of course it´s fake. Some time ago, I read a Swedish book about fake genealogies and the "cults" they spawned among amateur researchers. Now, imagine if being a descendant of a certain famed person also carried very definite material and political benefits. Exaaactly.
Obviously the family trees in such a situation are going to be negotiated and re-negotiated (to use the current euphemism) until the point is proven. I suppose we could call them apocryphal (to use an older euphemism)...
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