The 11th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations kicked off on Wednesday in Qufu, a county-level city of Jining, Shandong province, bringing together over 560 guests from more than 70 countries and regions to explore the interplay between cultural diversity and modernization.

In addition to the main theme of Beauty in Diversity: Nurturing Understanding Among Civilizations for Global Modernization, this edition of the forum also features six subtopics, including the origins and future development of civilizations, Confucian culture and its significance for the world today, mutual assistance in pursuing modernization, the importance of family and social development through the lens of civilization, and artificial intelligence and the future of human civilization.