The Confucius Museum, China's first comprehensive museum about Confucius, is set to open in the second half of this year, a local official said on Wednesday. 

The museum complex in Qufu, east China's Shandong Province - the birthplace of Confucius - with an investment of 700 million yuan (102 million US dollars), consists of an exhibition center and six subordinate halls, covering an area of 57,000 square meters. 

The culture project showcases Confucian relics collected by generations of his followers. It will be a place to learn about Chinese traditional culture, said Yang Jinquan, deputy head of the Qufu bureau of cultural relics. 

Started in 2013, construction was disrupted due to financial issues and discussions on how to present the essence of Confucian thoughts in the most accurate way. Local government statistics show that by the end of last year, a total of 380 million yuan (55.34 million US dollars) had been spent on the museum. 

Yang Chaoming, head of the Confucius Research Institute in Qufu, said the museum is of great importance. 

"Currently, people learn Confucian teachings mainly from textbooks and at the Confucius Temple. At the museum, visitors will be able to gain a more in-depth understanding about Confucius and his teachings via images, modern technologies and relics related to the sage," said Yang Chaoming, who is also a member of the provincial political advisory body. 

Yang Yitang, an expert on Confucian studies at the Jining bureau of cultural relics, said: "About 350,000 Confucius-related relics and archives that now rest in storerooms will be better protected and presented to the public, helping experts and tourists to learn about the sage." 

The local government is exhibiting the work of Confucius to promote traditional Chinese culture. 

Guo Shuqing, governor of Shandong, said in his government work report at the ongoing sixth session of the 12th Shandong Provincial People's Congress, the province's top legislature, that Shandong will continue to promote the essence of traditional Chinese culture, completing construction of the Confucius Museum and opening it to the public this year. 

"Work on the exhibition center, the main building of the museum complex, has been completed, while detailed work on exhibition platforms and landscaping is underway," said Zhang Lizheng of the Qufu Culture Industry Park, where the museum is located. 

As an educator and philosopher, Confucius’s theories influenced generations of Chinese people. He was the first Chinese to set up private schools and enroll students from all walks of life.

(With inputs from China Daily)