Tracing the origins of Confucian inspiration

Exhibition delves into the very essence of his teachings and how they shaped a nation, Wang Kaihao reports.

Across the span of human history, many great thinkers have shone like bright stars, profoundly shaping civilization. Confucius is one of them. Throughout the millennia since his time around the 5th century BC, the school of thought he founded and the Confucianism that developed from it has continued to offer inspiration for people, not only in China.

A new exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing opened on the National Day holiday to demonstrate the lasting legacy of the sage through 380 cultural relics on loan from nearly 30 institutions from home and abroad. It will run for more than three months.

In the Meridian Gate Galleries, above the southern entry of the former Chinese imperial palace also known as the Forbidden City, When the Great Way Prevails: Special Exhibition of Confucian Culture launches a time travel spectacle resonating with ancient ritual and wisdom.