孔子故里曲阜邀遊客評選"少年孔子卡通形象"

Tourists will vote on cartoon depictions of thinker and educator Confucius, in a campaign that was launched at the beginning of this month in Qufu City, hometown of Confucius in east China's Shandong Province.

3月初，在中國東部的山東省曲阜市，也就是孔子的故鄉發起了一項活動，遊客們將評選出大思想家、教育家孔子的卡通形象。

The city held a Confucius cartoon competition in October, to promote Confucius among the younger generation, according to the city's cultural heritage bureau.

根據曲阜市文物局報道，該市於去年10月舉辦了“少年孔子卡通形象”大賽，旨在年輕一代中弘揚孔子。

By the end of February, more than 200 images had been entered. They will be exhibited in the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, and visitors can vote for their favorite.

截至今年２月底，相關部門共收到參賽作品200餘件。這些作品將會在曲阜孔廟詩禮堂集中展示，並請遊客投票評選出最受喜愛的一個。

The top 10 will be announced early April, said the bureau. Artists will also be invited to participate in the selection process. Qufu city government hopes the winning pieces will embody the image of Confucius in his youth, for example, "a modest, self-disciplined gentleman who is diligent and eager to learn."

該文物局表示，排名前10的作品將會在4月初公佈，同時相關專家也將邀請參與作品的評選過程。曲阜市政府希望評選出的作品能體現出少年孔子的“謙謙君子、敏而好學、積極向上的布衣少年”形象。

Liu Feng, deputy director of the city's cultural heritage bureau, said that the winning cartoons will be used on different tourism products.

曲阜市文物局副局長柳楓表示，評選出的少年孔子卡通形象將會用在多樣化的旅遊紀念產品上。

Confucius often features in Chinese cartoons as a generic bearded old man in a robe. The selection of an image depicting Confucius in his youth would refresh people's opinions of the sage.

在中國漫畫中，孔子的形象通常是留着鬍鬚，穿着長袍。少年孔子卡通形象徵集活動將改變人們對這位聖賢的形象的看法。

Born near the present-day city of Qufu, Confucius (551-479 BC) founded a school of thought that influenced later generations and became known as Confucianism. He is believed to be the first person to set up private schools in China and enroll students from all walks of life. Confucius is regarded as a symbol of China's culture and intellectuals. There are about 1,300 Confucius temples in China and overseas.

孔子（公元前551-479年）出生在現今的曲阜市附近，創立了對後世影響深遠的學派，也就是衆所周知的儒家學說。他被認爲是中國設立私塾的第一人，招收來自各行各業的學生。孔子也被認爲是中國文化和知識分子的象徵。國內外孔廟共有大約1300座。