The times Confucius lived through two and a half thousand years ago were marked by conflict and upheaval. Confronted with a social order breaking down before his eyes, he looked to the Way of rites and music advocated by the Duke of Zhou to restore order and put the world to rights. In that spirit, today, at the birthplace of Confucius, the 2026 Nishan Forum on World Civilizations is exploring a timeless question: How can we build a more harmonious world? So it is that, with "Civilizations, Order and Justice" as its watchwords, this forum is continuing a conversation that began more than two millennia ago—one that still resonates as loudly as ever all around the world.