A press conference for the 2024 China International Confucius Cultural Festival was held today at in Beijing.

Wen Nuan, vice governor of Shandong province, outlined the key highlights of this year's festival.    

This Sept 28 marks the 2,575th birthday of Confucius. In addition to the main ceremony in Qufu, Shandong, this year's Memorial Ceremony for Confucius will include a sub-venue in Quzhou, Zhejiang — home to Confucius' descendants and a hub of Southern Confucianism.

The festival will also feature extensive global outreach with over 370 guests from 36 countries and regions invited. The event will collaborate with major domestic and international media and platforms to organize a series of activities promoting Chinese culture worldwide.

According to Wen, new developments for the Memorial Ceremony for Confucius and invitations to renowned cultural figures for keynote speeches and dialogues are also highlights of this year's festival.

Additionally, the festival will be held across the entire province of Shandong, featuring a variety of cultural performances, exhibitions, and folk experiences to delve deeper into and promote the essence of Chinese traditional culture.

Xu Rong, deputy director of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, highlighted the innovative aspects of this year's festival in terms of enhancing its international influence and promoting Chinese culture globally.

Xu noted that the festival has seen increasing participation from a wider range of countries and regions, and those invited to attend key events in Qufu will represent five continents.

Furthermore, the festival has invited a more diverse group of guests, including representatives from international organizations, sister cities, embassies in China, Confucius Institutes and academies abroad, descendants of Confucius, overseas Chinese, and international youth. This diverse group represents various sectors such as government, academia, and social organizations, with a significant increase in youth participation.

The festival's program will have a wide array of international activities. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will support Shandong province in collaborating with overseas Chinese Cultural Centers and tourism offices to organize a series of cultural and tourism events. Additionally, the "Confucius in My Eyes" Global Gen Z Photo, Short-video and Writing Contest has been opened to the world, and overseas cultural and tourism promotion activities will be organized to further expand the influence of Chinese culture.