On the morning of May 14, the closing ceremony of the interpretation of The Four Books hosted by the Nishan World Center for Confucian Studies and undertaken by the Mencius Research Institute, the Mencius Society of China, and the People’s Government of Zoucheng City was held in Zoucheng City, Shandong Province, the hometown of Mencius.

The Four Books is the classic works of Confucianism and the treasure of Chinese culture. The social norms, interpersonal communication, and social culture contained in The Four Books still have positive significance and strong reference value for modern people. The distinguished experts of the Mencius Research Institute integrated the long-term research results and experiences of the thoughts and texts of The Four Books into its interpretation, enriching the connotation and contemporary value of the interpretation, and promoting the dissemination of Confucianism and the transformation and application of classic texts. The conclusion of and the publication of the interpretation of the Four Books will surely have a significant impact on academia, and will effectively carry forward and develop the excellent traditional culture and Confucianism.

It is reported that since its establishment, the Mencius Research Institute has focused on modern interpretations of classics and organized Confucian experts to walk out of university classrooms and to the citizens. On September 24, 2016, the launching ceremony of the interpretation of the seven chapters of Mencius was held in Zoucheng, marking the official prelude to the interpretation of the Four Books. By the end of the last lecture on the interpretation of the Analects of Confucius on April 9, 2021, the Interpretation of the Four Books has been successfully completed. On the basis of interpretation activities, Confucian masters have arranged and published seven interpretations of Mencius, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Great Learning, and the Analects of Confucius in hundreds of thousands of words, activating the contemporary value of the Four Books.