The Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies was inaugurated on Aug 25 in Nishan, the birthplace of Confucius in Qufu, Shandong province, to build a global platform for the research and study of Confucianism.

Supported and founded by the Ministry of Education, the Shandong Provincial People's Government and relevant educational research institutions, the center, which is headquartered in Nishan, will build several branches at home and abroad to carry out academic research, talent cultivation, communication, and international cooperation.

Chen Lai, director of the Academy of Chinese Learning at Tsinghua University, said that as Nishan is the hometown of the great philosopher, it is a solid choice to establish the Confucian center here, heralding a new age of Confucianism research and development.

Liu Jiayi, Party chief of Shandong province, said that the center in Nishan would play a big role in promoting traditional Chinese culture in an innovative way.

Liu stressed that Shandong should further improve its cultural consciousness and confidence in the international arena, strengthen the study of Confucianism to integrate traditional culture with modern culture, as well as meet the needs of the development of the era and society.

He added that efforts should be made to build Shandong into an important Belt and Road base for facilitating exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Sun Yao, a vice-minister of education, said that with the profound changes in China's economy and society, the growing openness to the outside world, as well as the rapid development of internet technology and new media, it is imperative to deepen the understanding of the importance of traditional Chinese culture, including Confucianism, as well as to strengthen policy support and build a system for the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese culture.

He expressed his hope that the center will bring together more first-rate experts, scholars, and academic institutions at home and abroad to carry out systematic academic research, inherit and promote traditional Chinese culture, as well as make contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind and creating a better world.

Confucius (551-479 BC) was born in Nishan, in the Shandong city of Qufu. His philosophical teachings, known as Confucianism, are a crucial part of Chinese traditional culture.

Officials unveil the nameplate of the Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies on Aug 25 in Qufu, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/dzwww.com]

Liu Jiayi, Party secretary of Shandong province, delivers a speech at the founding conference of the Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies on Aug 25 in Qufu, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/dzwww.com]

More than 350 representatives take part in the founding conference of the Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies on Aug 25 in Qufu, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/dzwww.com]

Shandong Party chief Liu Jiayi (third from right) browses through books about traditional Chinese culture in the Nishan Sacred Land of Qufu, Shandong province on Aug 25. [Photo/dzwww.com]