A grand ceremony was held in Qufu, east China's Shandong Province, on Monday to commemorate the 2,560th birthday of Confucius, the great ancient Chinese thinker and philosopher revered around the world.

More than 10,000 people, including his descendants, scholars and representatives from foreign embassies in China and international organizations, attended the ceremony at the Confucius Temple in Qufu, his birthplace.

Confucius and his disciples advocated positive self-discipline, healthy living, maintaining harmony in family life, peace and order in the country, peace in the world. His thoughts are still studied worldwide.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2009)