An antique imitation of the bamboo slip for “The Analects of Confucius.” (Photo : www.aliexpress.com)
There is no stopping Confucius from spreading his wisdom even if he had left this world a long, long time ago in 479 B.C.
The Confucius Foundation of China (CFC) spearheads an ambitious project of constructing 10,000 schools that would propagate the teachings of Confucius and provide vocational training.
Wang Daqian, CFC secretary-general, revealed the foundation’s plans during the Fourth Cross-Strait Academic Forum on Confucianism held in Jinan in Shandong Province on Oct. 10, reported Xinhua.
Shandong is the birthplace of the revered Chinese philosopher. Aphorisms attributed to Confucius were compiled in a book called “Analects.”
Wang said that constructions will be nationwide. So far, 100 schools had been put up.
No less than President Xi Jinping might be glad to learn about this news. The president said during his speech at the Fifth Congress of the International Confucian Association (ICA), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 24, 2014, that Confucianism was one of the cultures that “nourished the flourishing Chinese nation.”
“Confucianism, along with other philosophies and cultures taking shape and growing within China, are records of spiritual experiences, rational thinking and cultural achievements of the nation during its striving to build its home,” said Xi.
The fifth congress took place simultaneously with an international conference celebrating the 2,565th anniversary of the sage’s birth with the theme, “Confucianism: World Peace and Development.”
Confucius Institute describes itself on its official website as “a public institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education committed to providing Chinese language and cultural teaching resources and services worldwide.”
The institute “goes all out in meeting the demands of foreign Chinese learners and contributing to the development of multiculturalism and the building of a harmonious world.”
Its headquarters in the country are located in Beijing’s Xicheng District. There are Confucius Institutes all over the world, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
There are “some 42 across Asia and some 328 in 82 countries and regions,” according to the book, “Asia Alone: The Dangerous Post-Crisis Divide from America.”
According to its website, as of June 2015, the U.S. has the most number of institutes at 95. The U.K. has 24; South Korea, 20; Russia, 18; Germany and Japan, 14; Thailand, 12; and Italy, 11.
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand,” said Confucius.
No wonder CFC is building schools offering to teach not only the abstract but also actual training programs.
