As the birthplace of Confucianism and a significant origin of Chinese civilization, East China's Shandong province has made great efforts in four key areas – in order to forge a new chapter in the story of cultural inheritance and innovation.

Wen Nuan, vice governor of Shandong, said at the recent press conference for the 2024 China International Confucius Cultural Festival in Beijing that the province has issued a series of policies and is focused on boosting cultural innovation through key projects.

For example, the Confucius Museum and Dawenkou Archaeological Site Park have been built and are open to the public and cultural tourism sites like the Nishan Sacred Land and the Qihe River museum are now in operation.

At the same time, the province has pushed forwards with the fourth national cultural relics survey, launching archaeological projects at key spots – such as the Gangshang and Chengziya sites – with 25 projects selected as China's top 10 new archaeological discoveries. Currently, Shandong operates 812 museums, ranking it first nationwide in six indicators.

The province is also promoting the integration of culture and tourism – such as hosting the annual Shandong High-Quality Cultural and Tourism Industry Development Conference – while the influence of the "Friendly Shandong, Remarkable Shandong" brand continues to grow.

Through brand activities, Shandong aims to enhance the international communication of Chinese culture.

It has hosted 40 editions of the China International Confucius Cultural Festival and 10 editions of the Nishan Forum on World Civilizations, striving to bolster Chinese culture on a broader and higher level.

Shandong has also launched cultural and tourism promotions in Europe, Central Asia, Japan and South Korea – increasing the global impact of the Chinese culture.