2020 China (Qufu) International Confucius Cultural Festival and the 6th Nishan World Civilization Forum Opened

On the morning of September 27th, 2020 China (Qufu) International Confucius Cultural Festival and the 6th Nishan World Civilization Forum opened in the Nishan Lecture Hall. More than 160 experts, scholars and guests from 17 countries and regions attended the opening ceremony online and offline.

With the approval of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, starting from this year, the Nishan World Civilization Forum has been integrated with the China (Qufu) International Confucius Cultural Festival, and been co-sponsored by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the International Federation of Confucianism and the People's Government of Shandong Province. The theme of this year's Confucius Culture Festival is: Commemorating Confucius' 2571 Birthday; The theme of the Nishan Forum on World Civilization is: Civilization Shine Through the Future.

Chen Zhu, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, made a speech and announced the opening. Xu Jialu, former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and Honorary Chairman of the Organizing Committee of Confucius Culture Festival (Nishan World Civilization Forum), and Ban Ki Moon, former Secretary General of the United Nations, sent congratulatory letters. Liu Jiayi, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, delivered a speech.

People delivered speeches successively included: Wang Xudong, Member of the Party Group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and President of the Palace Museum; Cai Fang, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Lin Songtian, Chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Chen Lai, Vice President of the International Confucian Federation; Zhang Zheng, Editor-in-chief of Guangming Daily; Jin Nuo, Secretary of the Party Committee of Renmin University of China and Chairman of Nishan World Confucianism Center and etc.. Former Prime Minister of Japan and Chairman of the International Confucian Federation Yasuo Fukuda sent a video speech. Yu Jie, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Minister of the Provincial Publicity Department, presided over the opening ceremony. Wang Suilian, Vice Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, and Fan Liming, President of Shandong University attended the ceremony. Leaders of Jining city like Fu Mingxian, Lin Hongyu, Yu Yongsheng and leaders of Qufu city like Liu Dongbo and Wang Lei also attended.

Chen Zhu pointed out that Confucianism, with its rich humanistic spirit, philosophical thoughts and moral concepts, traverses ancient and modern times and affects China and foreign countries. It is not only a gem of Chinese civilization, but also an important symbol of Oriental culture and a shining pearl of human culture. Based on the profound understanding of Chinese and world civilization, General Secretary Xi Jinping made in-depth explanations, which aroused strong resonance in countries globally, on the concepts of promoting excellent traditional Chinese culture, carrying out world civilization exchanges and mutual learning, and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Chen Zhu stressed that the world's unprecedented changes in a century are accelerating today. To meet common challenges and build a community with a shared future for mankind, it is more necessary to absorb beneficial elements from all human civilization achievements including Confucian culture, and obtain wisdom and methods to solve difficult problems in the exchanges and mutual learning of various civilizations. We should spread the beauty of Chinese civilization with maintaining the diversity of world civilizations as the cornerstone; push mutual learning among different civilizations with deepening cultural exchanges as a link; and promote harmonious coexistence of world civilizations with Confucianism as a carrier. He hoped that through intensive research and results sharing, we can help people understand the connotation and value of different civilizations, eliminate prejudices and misunderstandings, enhance consensus and mutual recognition, and ultimately make positive contributions to building a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.

In his speech, Liu Jiayi expressed his warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to all leaders, guests and friends at home and abroad on behalf of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government. He said that at present, COVID-19 was still spreading globally. Mankind's victory over common disasters depends on not only economic technology, but also cultural civilization. China has achieved major strategic achievements in the fight against the epidemic and took the lead in economic recovery. The cultural power behind the achievements contains the traditional Chinese cultural heritage such as benevolence, patriotism, and moral responsibility, the red cultural genes of indomitability, daring to fight, and daring to win, and also the core values of socialism. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is full of the strength of culture, moral and truth. It has inherited the value of excellent Chinese cultural, and is rooted in the spiritual genealogy of revolutionary culture. It shows the national spirit centered on patriotism and the spirit of the times with of reform and innovation as the core . It embodies the ideological crystallization of the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics and is the latest sinicization of Marxism. It fully reflects Chinese people's pursuit for national prosperity and rejuvenation and a happy life. It has most extensively absorbed the outstanding cultural achievements of humankind and is complied with the good wishes of the people of all countries for peaceful development and prosperity. This great thought is not only the guiding ideology of the Communist Party of China and the state, but also the common ideological basis and action guide for all the Chinese people. We must strengthen our faith and confidence to stick to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to arm the party members and educate the masses, and to gather the powerful force of more than 100 million people of Shandong Province to build a strong modern province in the new era.

Liu Jiayi said that in recent years, Shandong has firmly promoted the creative transformation and innovative development of the excellent traditional Chinese culture. More and more friends from different places have entered the hometown of Confucius, and more and more Chinese classics have gone to the world from here. Nishan has become more and more dazzling in the exchanges and mutual learning of different civilizations. As the hometown of Confucius and the important birthplace of Chinese civilization, Shandong will firmly shoulder the mission entrusted by the times and strive to be a good cultural messenger for the exchanges of civilizations between China and the world. It has increasingly become a broad consensus among the people of all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind and to make it a reality that different countries and nationalities share weal and woe. We look forward to working together to state the "Nishan Pact": transcending civilization estrangement,conflict and superiority with civilization exchanges, mutual learning and coexistence, so as to make the garden of human civilization colorful and beautiful.

A keynote speech was also held at the opening ceremony. During the event, in addition to the opening and closing ceremonies and the Confucius Memorial Ceremony, there will also be one high-end dialogue, two keynote speeches, fourteen group dialogues and the "Youth Forum".