JINAN, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- A forum on Confucius culture opened Monday in the city of Qufu, east China’s Shandong Province, the birthplace of the Chinese sage.

The Seventh Nishan Forum on World Civilizations drew 180 scholars from home and abroad, and 38 diplomatic envoys to discuss the ancient wisdom of Confucianism and explore the bright future of human beings.

The forum coincided with the 2021 China (Qufu) International Confucius Cultural Festival.

Themed as "Dialogues among Civilizations and Global Cooperation," the two-day event features high-level dialogues and a series of activities to boost international cooperation and development.

The brilliant traditional Chinese culture represented by Confucianism is closely related to the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom of all mankind, according to Hao Mingjin, vice chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.

In the face of common challenges, no country or nation can survive on its own. Only when we work together for common development and harmony and replace estrangement with exchanges, clash with mutual learning, and superiority with coexistence can we create a better life for mankind, Hao added.

Confucius (551-479 B.C.), an educator and thinker, has influenced countless generations of Chinese society.