Shandong province, with its profound cultural resources, is striving to build a prosperous, civilized and harmonious moral and cultural highland.

Nishan Mountain, a hill which is only 340 meters above sea level, neither has the majestic and heavy nature of Mount Tai, nor the clouds and seas of Laoshan Mountain. However, Confucius was born here 2,569 years ago, making it a holy place for ancient oriental civilization.

Its hallowed atmosphere has transformed into the power of rational wisdom and spreads around the world.

Visitors attend the Confucius worshipping ceremony at the Nishan Holy Land in Qufu, Shandong province. [Photo/iqilu.com]

The 5th Nishan Forum on World Civilization opened on Sept 26 this year. About 263 experts and scholars from 25 countries and regions participated in the global ideological and cultural event.

Nicholas Adams is a professor at the University of Birmingham. At the age of 58, he is an authoritative scholar in the field of western philosophy. But at the Nishan Forum, he exchanged with scholars from various countries as modestly as a student.

"We are now entering a new era. How can human beings live in harmony? The state leader of China has proposed to build a community with shared future. This is a great idea. It is a fusion of ancient Chinese wisdom and modern thoughts, and is worth studying," he said.

"I think China has a great tradition. That is Confucianism. The tradition affects the Chinese in various ways and now affects the world. Learning these cultures is very necessary for us to face the challenges of the 21st century," he added.

Nicholas Adams, a professor at the University of Birmingham, gives an interview to Shandong local media outlet. [Photo/iqilu.com]

Nishan Forum shows the world the role of Chinese culture in the dialogue of world civilization and the cultural responsibility of Shandong.

Shandong has actively implemented the project of developing and inheriting excellent Chinese traditional culture and promoting its creative transformation.

This year, the Shandong provincial government issued a construction plan for a demonstration area for the inheritance and development of Qufu's traditional culture.

It proposed that by 2020, the demonstration area should basically develop into a cultural highland that leads fashion, serves society and promotes the exchange of civilizations.

Li Xuebin, deputy secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Qufu Culture Construction Demonstration Zone, said that the first phase of the Nishan Holy Land project with a total investment of 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) has been completed and put into operation. The main body of the Confucius Museum with an investment of 800 million yuan is completed, and the integration project of the Mencius Institute has been accelerated.

The Confucius Museum opens for trial operation in Qufu, East China's Shandong province, Nov 26, 2018. [Photo/iqilu.com]

Shandong has taken the lead in promoting the excellent traditional culture in the basic education stage, and has made solid progress in building a virtuous, civilized and honest Shandong.