On September 29, “When the Great Way Prevails: Special Exhibition of Confucian Culture” opened at the Palace Museum. Sun Chunlan, former vice premier of the State Council and president of the International Confucian Association (ICA), attended the opening ceremony and declared the exhibition open.

Zhang Zheng, deputy Party secretary and vice minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ding Wei, executive vice president of the ICA, and Zheng Zhiheng, vice chairman of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, attended and delivered speeches. Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group is the exhibition’s joint promoter. The opening ceremony was also attended by Xia Yunhai, deputy director general of the International Promotion Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, Xin Qi, special consultant to the ICA, and officials from the departments, bureaus, and affiliated public institutions of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). Additionally, representatives from China National Museum of Women and Children, component departments of the Beijing Municipal Government, foundations, associations, academic societies, as well as current and former leadership of the Palace Museum attended the event. Wang Xudong, a member of the CPC Leadership Group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and director of the Palace Museum, presided over the opening ceremony.

2024 marks the 2,575th anniversary of Confucius’s birth and the 30th anniversary of the founding of the ICA. To enhance the cohesion of the Chinese nation and the appeal of Chinese culture, and to promote the research and dissemination of Confucianism and fine traditional Chinese culture, the Palace Museum and the ICA jointly organized this exhibition.

The exhibition, themed “When the Great Way Prevails,” is divided into three sections: “Tracing Back to the Ancients to Seek Confucianism,” “Shaping the World through Ethical Civilization,” and “A Teacher for All Ages.” It explores the historical development of Confucian culture through rich archaeological evidence, classic texts, and cultural relics collections, highlighting the core concepts of Confucian thought and its profound global impact. The exhibition runs from Oct. 1, 2024, to Jan. 5, 2025, at the exhibition hall of the Meridian Gate (Wu men). An online version will be available on the Palace Museum’s official website, and the exhibition will be promoted through various platforms such as the museum’s official Weibo, WeChat, and video channels.

The exhibition features 380 items (or sets of items) from nearly 30 archaeological and cultural institutions at home and abroad, including items from the Palace Museum’s collection. These institutions include (in order of stroke count): Shandong University Museum, Shandong Museum, the Shanxi Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Shanxi Museum, China National Museum of Women and Children, Inner Mongolia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Confucius Museum, Gansu Provincial Museum, Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan city of Sichuan province, Chengdu Museum, Jiangxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Jiangxi Provincial Museum, Wuyi Museum, Zaozhuang Museum, Zhengzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Henan Museum, Weibin District Museum in Baoji city, Zhouyuan Museum in Baoji city, Jingmen Museum, Jingzhou Museum, Nanchang Relic Museum for Haihun Principality of Han Dynasty, Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Hunan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Hunan Museum, Hubei Provincial Museum, Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts in Japan, Tokyo National Museum in Japan, and National Folk Museum of Korea. Additionally, important visual materials for the exhibition were provided by the Shangqiu Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Television, Guo Shoujing Memorial Hall in Xintai city of Hebei province, Huangdao District Museum in Qingdao city, and Vietnam National Museum of History.

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, as the exhibition’s joint promotion partner, has also contributed to the event.