An international symposium was held in Shanghai Sunday in commemoration of Zhu Xi, a renowned Chinese ideologist, philosopher and educationist who died 800 years ago.

Zhu Xi, born in 1130 in Jiangxi Province, east China, is famous for his commentary on the Confucian classics which has been considered a standard exposition.

His theory has not only had a big impact on Chinese culture but also had an important influence in the cultural development in southeast Asia or even the West.

Attending Sunday's seminar are over 60 experts and scholars from Chinese universities and from the United States, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries and regions.

Zhu Xi's life, his thought, his literary works and the political and economic situation of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) when he lived, were discussed.

A collection of Zhu Xi's works, consisting of over 20 million Chinese characters, has recently been published in Shanghai.

(Xinhua 10/09/2000)