Forum reaches beyond the individual

"All the problems we have today including climate change, pandemics, and population explosion are problems without boundaries which cannot be solved singlehandedly," he says, urging different countries to address the issues together.

Jean-Christophe Bas, former senior adviser to the UN's Alliance of Civilizations, says what he values most about Confucianism is the sense of moderation.

In his view, one of the greatest challenges in the world today is radicalization and many people see the world in black and white, while Confucian teaching on moderation can help people focus more on reaching agreements while acknowledging differences.

The "clash of civilizations" proposed by political scientist Samuel Huntington 19 years ago is actually a clash of ignorance, Bas says.

The Nishan Forum has given such a chance to young people by hosting a cultural conference for doctoral students from different countries.

Bai Lin, a Jewish student pursuing a PhD in religious studies at Shandong University in Jinan, says, "Although I am a Judaist, I read the Bible and Confucius' Analects to absorb wisdom and strength when I am frustrated."

Named after Nishan Mountain where Confucius is believed to have been born, the Nishan Forum came into being in September 2010 after Xu Jialu spent nearly three years working to establish it as China's first high-level spiritual dialogue.

The first and second forums, focusing on building harmony amid diversity, were held in 2010 and 2012 in Shandong province. Organizers have also strived to strengthen the forum's overseas presence, hosting the Paris Nishan Forum at the UNESCO headquarters in April 2012 and the New York Nishan Forum at the UN headquarters in November that year.