A foreign student copies out the "bibles" of Confucianism, known as the "Four Books and Five Classics", during a cultural visit on June 18 in Qufu, Shandong province. [Photo by Ding Chunli/ wenweipo.com]

Nearly a hundred foreign students visited the Confucius Temple in the hometown of the "Great Sage", Qufu, Shandong province, on June 18-19 to pay their respects to the ancient philosopher and experience traditional Chinese culture.

The group of scholars, hailing from a range of countries involved in China's Belt and Road Initiative including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, India and South Africa, are all studying Chinese in cities such as Beijing, Jinan and Tai'an.

The young students are all deeply fascinated by Chinese culture and had signed up to experience Confucian tradition in the most authentic of settings.

They took part in a series of traditional cultural activities including reading, reciting and copying out the "bibles" of Confucianism, known as the "Four Books and Five Classics".

They also tried out the "Six Arts", or liù yì, of ancient China: Rites, music, archery, chariot racing, calligraphy and mathematics.

As the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, Qufu's main claim to fame is having shaped two sages of the ages. And the city has built a thriving tourism market by promoting its rich cultural heritage.