A Confucius memorial ceremony is held on the morning of Sept 28 at the Quzhou Confucius Temple in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/qz828.com]

A memorial ceremony was held on the morning of Sept 28 to commemorate the 2,573rd birthday of Confucius at the Quzhou Confucius Temple in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, home to many of Confucius's descendants.

The ceremony consists of four parts, including the start of rites, sacrificial rites, panegyrical rites and the end of rites.

Activities such as recitations and dances are held at the ceremony to pay respect to Confucius. [Photo/qz828.com]

Activities such as recitations and dances are carried out at the ceremony to pay respect to Confucius. [Photo/qz828.com]

In 1129, the descendants of Confucius moved to Quzhou along with Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) from Qufu in Shandong province while fleeing the invading army.

Since then, Quzhou has served as the second largest center for studying, interpreting and spreading Confucian concepts in southern China.