September 3, 2010 Confucian Genealogy To Be Presented to the Library of Congress at Sept. 11 Program Honoring the Chinese Philosopher

Press Contact: Audrey Fischer (202) 707-0022
Public Contact: Yuwu Song (202) 707-3683

On Oct. 28, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 784, to honor the 2560th anniversary of the birth of Confucius and recognize his global contributions to philosophy and social and political thought.

In the spirit of the legislation, the Library of Congress Asian Division will present a program titled “Confucianism as the World Cultural Heritage” from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 in the Asian Reading Room, located in room 150 of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

The program, which is free and open to the public (no reservations required), is sponsored by the Asian Division in cooperation with the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans; the Confucius Memorial Ceremony Committee; and the Hai-Hua Community Center.

The program will feature lectures by prominent scholars, a Confucian memorial dance, calligraphy from the immortal teachings that appear in the “Analects of Confucius” and a display of books in all languages on Confucianism drawn from the Library’s collections.

The cornerstone of the event will be a ceremony marking a special donation to the Library of Congress of the Confucian genealogy. Ling-He Kung, a 76th-generation descendant of the revered Chinese philosopher, will donate an 80-volume set that documents Confucius’s family tree. Published by the Beijing-based Culture and Literature Publishing House, the volumes record 83 generations (more than 2 million people) descended from Confucius. It is believed to be the biggest family tree in the world.

Born in 551 B.C. in Qufu in eastern China’s Shandong Province, Confucius was a great teacher and thinker whose theories were the orthodox ideology in China for more than 2,000 years. His teachings, which advocate peace and social harmony, have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years.

The Library of Congress is the central repository for all types of Asian publications that are not broadly available at other locations in the United States. Initiated in 1869 with a gift of 10 works in 934 volumes offered to the United States by the Emperor of China, the Library’s Asian collection of more than 2 million items is the largest and most comprehensive outside of Asia. Visit the Asian Division at www.loc.gov/rr/asian/.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

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PR 10-191
2010-09-03
ISSN 0731-3527