The 2026 Nankong Cultural Tourism Season was launched in Quzhou, Zhejiang, with the theme of "Nankong Holy Land·Welcoming the World"

China News Service, Quzhou, September 3 (Luo Zeming) "AI preaches Confucian culture, debaters from Peking University and Fudan University discuss Taoism on the same stage, young students and academic luminaries talk about Nan Kong at night..."

Recently, a press conference for the 2026 Nankong Cultural Tourism Season was held in Quzhou, Zhejiang. Wang Huilin, member of the Standing Committee of the Quzhou Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department, introduced the relevant situation of this tourism season at the meeting.

The conference site. Photo by Chen Jiani

Quzhou is where the descendants of Confucius have lived for generations and is also the core of the spread of Confucianism to the south. With the theme of "Holy Land of Nan Kong, Welcome the World", this tourism season adopts a "3+N" structure, guided by the three core activities of Quzhou Confucianism Forum, Nan Kong Festival, and Chinese Poetry and Education Conference, and also launches a number of special cultural and tourism activities.

As one of the three core activities, the 2026 Quzhou Confucian Forum will be held from September 5th to 7th. Focusing on the contemporary value of Confucian culture, the forum brings together top domestic scholars and Southeast Asian cultural experts to break the traditional academic model and innovatively set up youth roundtable dialogues, prestigious university Confucian debates, celebrity night talks, etc., as well as new forms such as AI wisdom lectures, so that traditional Confucianism can go out of the academic palace and fit in with the perspective of young people and public life.

In terms of brand building of poetry education, the 2026 China Poetry Education Conference takes "Poetry Quzhou·Reciting China" as the theme, deeply integrating the poetry education culture with the Nankong Festival. Through a series of activities such as live poetry performances, national recitation competitions, and famous artists entering campuses and villages, we will deepen the popularization of poetry education among the people and polish the cultural brand of "River of Song Ci in Western Zhejiang".

The continuous celebration of ancient rituals with the whole people is another highlight of this tourist season. On September 28, Quzhou will hold the Nan Kong Memorial Ceremony for the 23rd consecutive year. With the theme of "Respecting the Saints and Worshiping the Rites of Confucius and All the People Worshiping Confucius for the Great Harmony of the World", it will be divided into five chapters to demonstrate the memorial ceremony of the Song Dynasty. In addition, the musical "Nan Kong" will be performed at the Central Opera House, and campus activities such as the Orientation Ceremony and the "Analects of Confucius" reading competition will also be carried out to allow the etiquette culture to infiltrate the growth of young people.

"We insist on commemorating Confucius, commemorating our ancestors, and adhering to the cultural context." The relevant person in charge of Quzhou City said that in the next step, Quzhou will join hands with relevant overseas institutions to jointly carry out a series of activities such as the "Reciting Classics Together" book club, across mountains and seas, and around the world to commemorate Confucius, so that Confucian culture will continue to shine on the world stage. (over)