"As a country having so much esteem for Confucius, China is bound to bring more positive changes to the world," said Preetema.

In Southwest China's Yunnan Province, officials, scholars, students and descendants of Confucius from home and abroad attended a ceremony held at the Confucius temple in Jianshui County.

More than 2,100 people from 1,080 families also participated in a ceremony in which they observed traditional Confucian etiquettes to mark the beginning of their education, childhood and adulthood.

Covering an area of 76,000 square meters, the Confucius temple in Jianshui is the second largest of its kind in the country.

For thousands of years, Confucius has been regarded as a symbol of China's traditional culture as well as the country's intellectuals.

Confucius (551-479 B.C.) founded Confucianism, a school of thought that deeply influenced later generations. He was also the first Chinese person to set up private schools and enroll students from all walks of life. He is believed to have been born on Sept. 28. Annual commemorations of Confucius started in 478 B.C., the year after his death.