Confucius Statue

«The Supreme Sage and Foremost Teacher»
OK, so you’re a decision maker in the Provincial People’s Government of Shandong Province in the People’s Republic of China. You want to thank the State of CT and City of Hartford for gifting you with a statue of Mark Twain twenty years ago. So what do you send to Hartford? How about a very cool statue of Confucius!
For that reason, this statue was presented to the State of Connecticut by the Chinese government in August 2006.
Confucius, of course, was a wise old Chinese philosopher, educator, and statesman.
His 7′ tall statue is mounted on a black granite base. He is rather distinguished looking, with a long beard and long ceremonial robe.
In English and Chinese, the front of the base is inscribed «Confucius».
The main inscription reads:
The Provincial People’s Government
of Shandong Province, China
Copper plaques on both sides (English and Chinese) include a dedication and Confucius’ biography.
The plaque reads:
Confucius (551 B.C. to 479 B.C.), with the given name Qiu and stylized name Zhongni, was a native of Lu State (now Qufu city of Shandong Province) in the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. He was a great thinker, educator and statesman in ancient China and the initiator of Confucianism. Based on the circumstances of his era, Confucius advocated a school of thought with benevolence as its core value and the rites as its code of conduct, which was mostly documented in the seminal work of Confucianism entitled «The Analects». For the past two millennia, Confucianism has impacted all aspects of Chinese society, shaping people’s way of life and social behavior, and promoting the harmonious development of society. Confucius was so highly respected that he was acclaimed «the Supreme Sage and Foremost Teacher» in Chinese society. Confucianism, transmitted across the bordering countries of China a long time ago, was of far-​reaching influence in the evolution of various civilizations. Even in European and American countries there are many intellectuals who study Confucius and Confucianism. Amidst a changing world and the advancement of sciences, people recognize even more the legitimate values of Confucianism when seeking a solution to modern social problems. Presented to the State of Connecticut, the United States of America on the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of our sister State/​Province relationship by the Provincial People’s Government of Shandong Province, the People’s Republic of China in August 2006