Confucianism book compilation exceeds 1 bln Chinese characters

(ECNS) -- China is compiling a set of books on Confucianism totaling more than one billion Chinese characters, according to Peking University.

The project started in 2003. Over the past 20 years, 282 books, covering 510 kinds of handed-down literature and unearthed literature from Chinese history, have been published, totaling about 200 million Chinese characters.

Compilation of another 3,500 kinds of valuable Confucian works from China, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam is underway, set to total about one to 1.2 million characters.

Confucianism holds the dominant position in traditional Chinese culture, said Wang Bo, vice president of Peking University, adding that it has tremendous influence throughout Chinese history, necessitating its preservation.