In a recent interview, Rodrigo Toledo, first secretary at the Chilean embassy in China, noted that the great ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius and Confucian culture enjoy a strong reputation in Chile.

Toledo made the remarks on the night before the 2021 China (Qufu) International Confucius Cultural Festival and the 7th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations, which are taking place in Qufu, Jining, East China's Shandong province from Sept 27 to 28.

Although Chile is geographically far from China, Chilean people are familiar with Confucius, Confucianism, as well as Chinese characters, which means that Chinese culture has a far-reaching impact, said Toledo.

"If you figure China as a house, the base of China is Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese characters. Chinese are famous around the world because of their culture," he said.

According to Toledo, China currently leads the world not only economically and in trade, but also in cultural exchanges. Chile is an emerging country in Latin America and is looking forward to learning more about China's civilization and development history, he added.