The 2026 China International Confucius Cultural Festival and the 2026 Nishan Forum on World Civilizations kicked off on September 28. During the events, Zhang Xiaodan, a Chinese writer based in Europe, said in an interview that amid the rapid advancement of algorithms, chips, and AI, core Confucian propositions including "the exemplary person is not a mere vessel" and "attaining equilibrium and harmony" remainhighly relevant to modern society.

Zhang Xiaodan pointed out that algorithms, chips, and AI are profoundly reshaping people's daily lives, while Confucian thought evolves with the times. The classic verse "When equilibrium and harmony are fully attained, heaven and earth take their proper places and all things are nourished and flourish" speaks to maintaining the middle way and a state of equilibrium and harmony. As embodied in the idea that "the exemplary person is not a mere vessel," technology functions as a practical vessel, whereas civilization defines the fundamental moral Way. AI is merely a human tool, and its value depends entirely on how humans apply it. On learning and reflection, she quoted the celebrated Confucian maxim: "Learning without reflection leads to confusion; reflection without learning leads to peril." Modern people are awash with fragmented knowledge, and true wisdom is required to structure scattered information into systematic cognition. Commemorating Confucius serves as both traditional ritual and spiritual cultural inheritance. It is not confined to ceremonial rituals in ancestral halls and temples. Instead, the genuine continuation of Confucian spirit lies in the inner judgments people make at every critical moment of choice—this is precisely how contemporary people carry forward Confucian teachings.