A huge batik painting of Confucius and his 72 renowned disciples was put on display recently at his hometown, Qufu City, in east China's Shandong Province.
The 100-meter-long painting took handicraftsmen at the Kongfu Batik Factory eight months to complete, said Liu Lanzhen, vice mayor of Qufu.
Liu said that to produce this painting the factory worked out a new batik technique for wax based on traditional techniques.
Confucius (551-BC479) developed Confucianism during China's Spring and Autumn period (722-BC481), when the slave system was gradually disintegrating and the feudal system was taking shape.
Confucianism promoted the concepts of benevolence and traditional rites, and Confucius has been respected for generations as China's "great perfection, ultimate sage, and foremost teacher."
(Xinhua 10/05/2000)
