About 8,800 celebrities, lawmakers, professionals, and religious leaders from eight countries and regions, including the Chinese mainland, the United States and the United Kingdom, held a joint Confucius worship ceremony in Hong Kong on Sunday to revive Confucian traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation in the last 2,000 years.

The ceremony was to offer thanks to Confucius on the anniversary of his 2,575th birthday for his enlightenment that shaped Chinese civilization.

Late Buddhist teacher Venerable Master Chin Kung, a prominent spiritual leader and religious educator, has been involved in reviving and promoting Confucian traditions for more than six decades. The Hong Kong Buddhist Education Foundation, the late master’s affiliated institution, hosted the ceremony.

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Commemorating Confucius reminds people to respect every teacher in history and in life, which is the prerequisite for character building and social harmony, according to the late master's philosophy. The band is distinctive in its Confucian style, which has been reserved and performed in the Temple of Confucius for thousands of years.

The ritual is a common cultural practice both in imperial China and among contemporary Chinese ethnic communities worldwide, according to the organizer.

China Daily's Edmond Tang took the photos on Sunday.