Confucian culture and home passion, hand in hand to achieve success. In the morning of Aug. 14, Shandong Province sent a sincere invitation to the whole world on the Press Conference of the 1st Conference of Great Business Partners (CGBP). For the purpose of the conference, Shandong fellow-townsmen are welcomed to return to hometown, express their homesickness, seek for common development and make contributions to Shandong, and all Confucian merchants with integrity, noble ideals and deeds are especially invited to Shandong to know about and help the development of the province."

The Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government of Shangdong will hold the 1st CGBP in Jinan from Sep. 28 to 30. This is the first time for Shandong Province to invite commercial elites, famous experts and celebrities around the world to undertake the development of Shandong and seek for a bright future. It is estimated that more than 3,000 business executives, entrepreneurs, experts and scholars at home and abroad will be present.

With the theme of "New Era, New Economic Engine, New Confucian Merchants and New Vision", the 1st CGBP adheres to the tenet of "Observing Business Ethics Creates Success". During the conference, 11 parallel forums will be held centering on the top ten industries on the transition to new from old economic engines, and a batch of major projects will be contracted at these forums; In addition, Shandong Economic & Social Development Achievements Exhibition and Major Projects Planning Exhibition of Transition to New from Old Economic Engines will also be held. By holding these exhibitions and through interactions, all guests can feel the local favors, taste the special delicious foods and appreciate the traditional national crafts in Shandong Province. Moreover, 17 cities of Shandong Province will also hold featured activities before and after the conference. In order to support Confucian merchants across the world to start up business in Shandong, the whole province will be active in creating a thick atmosphere where business partners are respected, valued, endeared and helped, and will enhance conceptual change and environment optimization.

"After 40 years of development under the reform and opening-up policy, Confucian merchants have developed into an important entrepreneur group in China" said Liu Jiapeng, an associate professor of Confucian Merchants Research Institute of Shandong Technology and Business University. Shandong is the hometown of Confucius and Mencius. The gentleman personality is always highly praised by Confucianism. Therefore, a batch of Shandong entrepreneurs grows quickly along with the reform and opening-up policy. Besides morality and intelligence of Confucianists, they hold wealth and success of businessmen. Except for pioneering consciousness, innovation capacity and international vision, they are willing to undertake the patriotism and social responsibility to benefit the whole world.

Guo Jianli, vice chairman of Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce, said that, "Shandong has continuously made new progress in the transition to new from old economic engines. In order to attract more investment for the "top ten" industries, Shandong should give full play to the important role of Confucian merchants, especially by taking them as a bridge to bring in companies included in the Fortune Global 500 list, national enterprises, famous scientific research institutes at home and abroad, and cutting-edge technologies and talents in relevant  fields and industries, so as to co-build the marketing network.

This will be a grand gathering with full sincerity and seeking for common development. According to Sun Laibin, deputy director of Provincial Major Project Promotion Office of Transition to New from Old Economic Engines, a large batch of major projects of the "top ten" industries have been carefully selected across Shandong Province for centralized recommendation. The contracted projects will be started within one year after the contract is concluded and the project progress will be included into the annual assessment of each region after the CGBP. "These arrangements have fully shown that Shandong is sincere and down-to-earth, and that it is determined to speed up the transition to new from old economic engines to promote high-quality development."

This will be a talent-magnet conference with everlasting influence. According to Xu Guojun, the second-level inspector of Provincial Human Resources and Social Security Hall, they will do their best to promote the talent-magnet work, better introduce Shangdong to the talents inside and outside China, and  attract them to make innovation and start up business here."

Now, Shandong Province is building a first-class business environment featuring "less approval procedures, high efficiency, high service quality and satisfaction of the people" and making steady headway to promote the reform of "completing formalities at a time" with the purpose of providing "waiter" and "nanny" service for enterprises by realizing transposition thinking, active service, responsive assistance, unnecessary interference prevention and result-based evaluation.

This will be a grand gathering for all participants to express their homesickness and make contributions to their hometown together. The conference will attract not only local guests but also those who have Shandong membership or work experience there. They are serving at enterprises, institutions and schools that have a relatively large scale and influence. "The United Front Work Department under Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce have established 11 workgroups under the leadership of departmental leaders, and liaison is being carried out by relevant municipal departments by taking into account the guests' hometown, graduate institutions and job relations while giving priority to homesickness and domestic affection. Now, we have sent pre-invitation letters to some guests," said Guo Jianli.

"This is not only a call-up for us to offer advice and put forth strength for hometown development, but also an affectionate letter from our hometown fellows," said Liu Xugang, president of Shandong Chamber of Commerce in Zhejiang Province, upon reception of the pre-invitation letter. "As Shandong natives, we start up business worldwide but always take root in Shandong. Now, it is a good time for us to make investment in Shandong as the economy is booming and there are more and more opportunities in Shandong.