Sacred mountain in Jiangsu to host International Taoist Forum

A statue of Lao Zi, the founder of Taoism, on Maoshan Mountain in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province. [Photo/IC]

China will host the 5th International Taoist Forum in Maoshan Mountain, Jiangsu province, to promote the Taoist philosophy, the country's Taoist association announced on Thursday.

The forum will be held on the sacred Taoist mountain on Sept 24 and 25. It will be attended by experts and practitioners from more than 40 countries and regions, including the United States, France, Germany, Singapore and Malaysia, it added.

Participants will focus on honoring the faith and being in harmony with the world in accordance with Taoist philosophy. Topics will include innovation and environmental protection.

Li Guangfu, head of the association, said the development of Taoism must align with the world's development. At the same time, it's necessary to find the wisdom in Taoism that can contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

The forum is currently the largest international cultural exchange platform for Taoists around the world, the association added.

Taoism is an indigenous philosophical tradition from China. It teaches people to balance yin and yang — the positive and negative — and other opposites, as well as going with the flow and living in harmony with the Tao, which means "the Path" or "the Way". This philosophy has fascinated and inspired people not only in China, but also around the world.