Photo/China Daily

As the birthplace of Confucian culture, East China's Shandong province has been making progress in vitalizing heritage sites and intangible culture through innovative inheritance and restoration during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25).

The province also safeguards the precious treasures of Qilu culture and promotes exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations across the globe.

Confucianism

Qufu in Jining city, as the hometown of Confucius, has become a window through which the world learns about Chinese civilization. In recent years, drawing on its resources as Confucius' birthplace, Qufu has enriched the activities for intercivilizational exchanges and mutual learning.

On the southern axis extension of the Temple of Confucius in Qufu sits a culture experience base within the China Confucius Research Institute. Covering roughly 12,000 square meters, it has been recognized as a landmark for overseas visitors to experience Qufu.

The experience base consists of two themed zones: one showcasing fine traditional culture in daily life and the other dedicated to Confucius and Confucian thought. On the first floor lies the fine traditional culture exhibition zone, while the second floor features extensive photos and written exhibits that trace the evolution and inheritance of traditional culture.

Visitors there may don ancient costumes, perform traditional ceremonies, experience stone rubbing firsthand, and immerse themselves in Chinese rituals and customs.

In September, the 12th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations will be held in Qufu. Centered on the core philosophy of Confucian thought — harmony without uniformity — the forum will explore paths for cooperation and coexistence among diverse global civilizations.

Having hosted 11 sessions to date, the Nishan Forum has evolved from a regional academic event into a globally significant platform for civilizational dialogue. Political leaders and scholars from multiple nations have recognized the forum's value.

During the 11th session, Hrvoje Petric, a professor at the University of Zagreb in Croatia, said that the forum offers an excellent channel for dialogue among all civilizations.

All civilizations share one homeland: this planet. Communication is essential if humanity is to build a promising future. In such global cultural exchanges, Confucian ideas serve as a valuable and viable approach, one humanity should embrace proactively, he said.

The China International Confucius Cultural Festival is another cultural emblem of Shandong representing Confucian heritage. Beginning in 1984, it has grown into a cross-border cultural gala renowned worldwide.

The 2025 session collaborated with more than 60 Confucian temples, academies and Confucian research institutions globally to launch an online ceremony honoring Confucius. It also released six themed study tour products linking more than 30 key cultural and tourist landmarks across Shandong province.

Yang Jinquan, deputy curator of the Confucius Museum, noted that Confucius' Doctrine of the Mean embodies dialectics and recognizes the unity of contradictions. Humanity shares a single planet, and all nations coexist within one world. The encounters, exchanges, mutual learning and enrichment of diverse civilizations have woven a tapestry of human civilization defined by harmony without uniformity, harmonious coexistence and the beauty of shared diversity.

Creative transformation

Breaking away from the conventional mindset that prioritizes conservation over dynamic utilization, Shandong leverages digital technology and industrial integration to align ancient cultural lineage with modern life and realize its creative transformation and innovative development.

The province has fully advanced its cultural digitalization strategy, rolling out innovative initiatives such as digital Confucian temples, online intangible cultural heritage platforms and smart cultural museums.

Technologies including 3D modeling, virtual performances and online exhibitions bring static cultural relics and ancient crafts to life through viewable, interactive and educational digital dissemination, allowing millennium-old cultural heritage to transcend time and space via the internet.

Handicrafts of Shandong have also emerged as a landmark achievement of the province's cultural development. Signature handicrafts such as Zhangqiu iron woks, Mount Tai jade cultural creations, Shandong brocade garments and Yimeng handmade crafts blend contemporary design with aesthetics, balancing cultural connotations with practical functionality to form standout cultural brands.

Caoxian county in Heze is home to more than 2,000 hanfu (traditional-style clothing) enterprises, approximately 15,000 online stores and nearly 100,000 hanfu industry practitioners, with annual sales exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.47 billion).

At intangible cultural heritage workshops in Weifang, veteran artisans uphold age-old techniques for Yangjiabu woodblock New Year paintings and kite-making. By merging traditional patterns with modern aesthetics, they bring centuries-old heritage out of local alleyways to wider audiences.

Supported by intangible cultural heritage workshops province-wide, traditional crafts including Zibo glassware, southern Shandong wickerwork and Jiaodong paper-cutting have formed a virtuous cycle featuring master-apprentice skill transmission, public hands-on experiences and industry-driven growth.

An international student from Pakistan shared his view about Shandong: "In Shandong, I truly see that traditional culture is not dusty antiques locked away; it is a living civilization open to innovation, shared by all and capable of reaching every corner of the globe."

During the 14th Five-Year Plan, the province integrated premium resources including coastal and mountain ecosystems, rural landscapes and distinctive local industries to build a portfolio of featured cultural tourism products.

The ecological corridor along the Yellow River, coastal leisure routes, mountain study tour corridors and immersive ancient city experiences are representative brands. These efforts have fueled industrial upgrading in cultural tourism and steadily boosted the province's global appeal, officials said.