The Nishan World Forum on the Culture of Confucian Entrepreneurs, a vital event of the ninth Nishan Forum on World Civilizations, kicked off in Qufu, Shandong province on Sept 26.

The forum was jointly organized by the Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies, China Confucius Foundation, Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce and Jining city government.

With the tagline "Tradition and Future: Spirit of Merchants and the Chinese Path to Modernization", the forum featured various subtopics, including the Confucian business spirit, modern entrepreneurial spirit, Confucian moral ethics, economic ethics, diverse cultures and Confucian civilization.

Through keynote speeches and high-level dialogues, the event facilitated intellectual exchanges, delving deep into the unique values and significance of Confucian businesspeople in the new era.

Prominent figures such as Wang Ruiyong, vice-president of Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd, and Roger T.Ames, chair professor of Humanities at Peking University, delivered keynote speeches during the event.

Seven experts, scholars and entrepreneurs, including professor Michael Lackner from the department of sinology at Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, and professor Li Pingsheng from the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies at Shandong University, engaged in high-level dialogues on "Confucian Thought and Global Economic Development Trends".

Another seven experts and scholars, including professor Li Honglei from the Department of Philosophy at Sun Yat-sen University and Park Hong-yeong, president of the Confucius Culture Center in South Korea, participated in discussions on "Confucian Business Culture and the Construction of Modern Chinese Civilization".

The forum concluded with the unveiling ceremony of the Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies’ branch at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Malaysia.