Photo: chinakongzi.org

The Ninth Nishan Forum on World Civilizations kicked off on Wednesday in Qufu, East China's Shandong Province, the hometown of China's great ancient thinker Confucius.

The forum provides an international platform that invites more than 1,600 scholars worldwide to explore the common values of humanity across various civilizations.

Themed as "Common values of all humanity and a global community of shared future: Strengthening cultural exchange and mutual learning to jointly address global challenges," scholars have discussed topics such as how the wisdom of Confucius can help with global challenges.

Shohrat Zakir, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), attended the forum and called for respect for the "diversity of human civilization."

Other than the main forum, the event this year also includes 13 sub-forums, including the "Nishan World Forum of Confucianism." The forum invited international scholars from countries including the US and South Korea to discuss topics such as how Confucian culture contributed to the modernization of East Asia.

Roger T. Ames, a renowned US Confucian scholar, said that the Confucian idea of "harmony but not uniformity" is still relevant nowadays and refers to respecting diversity.

The Nishan Forum on World Civilizations was first launched in 2010. It has been held eight times so far and is considered a platform for cultural sharing. The 2023 forum will run until Thursday.

Global Times