The 2021 Confucius memorial ceremony is held in Qufu, Jining, East China's Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2021 Confucius memorial ceremony was held at the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, Jining, East China's Shandong province on Sept 28 to commemorate the 2572nd anniversary of the birth of the ancient Chinese sage Confucius.

A number of distinguished guests, including government officials, scholars, well-respected role models, as well as representatives from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, attended the memorial ceremony.

Governor of Shandong Li Ganjie gave an oration which was written in classical Chinese by Wang Junlin, who is a professor at the Confucius Institute of Culture of Qufu Normal University. Participants bowed to the statue of Confucius to show their reverence.

A Confucius temple in South Korea joins the 2021 memorial ceremony. [Photo/jnnews.tv]

More than 40 Confucius temples and Confucian cultural institutions across the world joined the ceremony. Shandong Television Station and chinakongzi.org, the official website of the Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies, livestreamed the event.

A group of students read Confucian works at the 2021 Confucius memorial ceremony. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Confucius memorial ceremony features various forms of performance arts like singing, dancing, playing music, and rites. It was included in the first group of national intangible cultural heritage items in 2006.

Performers play the guzheng, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, at the 2021 Confucius memorial ceremony. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]