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Danielle Popov

This weekend, Shandong province in eastern China will celebrate the birth of its most famous son: Confucius.
The 2024 China International Confucius Culture Festival begins today in the city of Qufu, running until October 7.
Born 2,575 years ago, in 551BC, Confucius was the first teacher in China to advocate education for all. He also introduced a set of ethical and moral codes, known as Confucianism, which is still widely observed not only in China but in other parts of Asia, such as Korea.
The festival sets out to foster a greater understanding of his cultural significance.

The theme of this year’s festival is “Dialogue with Confucius, Mutual Learning among Civilisations”. For the first time, the festival will be a collaboration between the main venue in Qufu and Quzhou, in Zhejiang province.
Jining, a former capital of Shandong, will also host 103 cultural tourism activities, with one theme being “Following Confucius to Jining”.
Qufu is home to the Temple of Confucius, the largest and best known temple dedicated to the scholar and a Unesco World Heritage site.
It is also one of three major sites collectively known as san kong, “The Three Confucian Sites”, the other two being the cemetery containing the grave of Confucius, which lies a few kilometres to the north, and the Kong Family Mansion, which stands nearby and was home to his mainline descendants.
Shandong province boasts the largest number of cultural relics related to Confucianism in China, including 21 Confucian temples and 700,000 artefacts.
In China, there are 389 Confucian temples and 176 Confucian academies.

The festival will include a ceremony honouring the legacy of Confucius; an exploration of Confucian temples and academies; and around 100 performances, exhibitions and folk experiences centred on his teachings, poems and operas.
The festival will bring together experts, scholars and administrators from temples and academies worldwide to create cultural bridges and take part in discussions about the further preservation and promotion of Confucian heritage.
Consuls and ambassadors from 36 countries, and 400 other foreign guests – including representatives from Confucian temple academies outside China, which are mainly located in East Asia – have been invited to the festival. Among the countries represented are South Korea, Japan, Armenia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.


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China celebrates 2,575 years since Confucius’ birth with cultural festival in Shandong

People dressed as ancient Chinese scholars attend the 2021 China International Confucius Culture Festival at the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, Shandong province, China on September 28, 2021. The 2024 festival runs from September 28 to October 7. Photo: Getty Images

A view of the world’s largest Confucius statue, in Qufu, Shandong province. Photo: Weibo/CGTV

A Confucian temple in Qufu. Photo: Weibo/CGTV

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The 2024 China International Confucius Culture Festival in Shandong province will bring together Confucianist experts from across the world


The 2024 China International Confucius Culture Festival in Shandong province will bring together Confucianist experts from across the world.


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