JINAN, Aug. 25 -- Confucian studies have entered a new period of creative development and diversification, said Chinese scholars at a seminar.

"People are re-activating Confucian classics to make them regain vitality and value," said Wang Zhongjiang, head of the Chinese Confucian Academy and professor in philosophy at Peking University.

More than 100 scholars and experts from about 40 universities and research institutions at home attended the seminar, held in Qufu, east China's Shandong Province from Saturday to Sunday.

Qufu is the birthplace of Confucius (551-479 BC), an educator and thinker whose teachings have influenced countless generations of Chinese society.

The conference aims to review Confucian studies over the past century in commemoration of the 2,570th anniversary of Confucius' birth.

The Confucian doctrine founded by Confucius has been continuously elaborated and supplemented in the inheritance and application of great scholars in different periods, and has been deeply integrated into the blood of the Chinese people over more than 2,000 years, said 94-year-old Kong Deyong, a 77th-generation descendant of the revered Chinese philosopher.

The experts call for gaining cultural confidence in Confucian studies and promoting the creative transformation and development of Chinese culture.

Collected in the "Analects" by his students, the teachings of Confucius center on peace and social harmony. One of his principles is, "Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you."