The five-day Asian Young Leaders Convention 2011 kicked off yesterday in the Wenjiang district of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province.

Jointly organized by the River Vally High School in Singapore and the Wenjiang Middle School in Chengdu, the event, which is based on Confucian thoughts of "benevolent government" and framed under the teachings of the Confucian classic The Great Learning, aims at promoting students' moral standards and improving their comprehensive quality in practice through character development trainings.

It has drawn more than 1,318 students and teachers from Singapore, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Macao.

They will share opinions on value－based leadership and character development in 21th century and exchange ideas about culture, character development and qualities of leadership, which can give them a better understanding of diverse cultures and values.

The reason why Wenjiang has been chosen as the site for the event is that the district has a good eco－environment as well as the humanity spirit, according to deputy district chief He Min.

The convention is of significance to the internationalization of Wenjiang's education, she said.

The Wenjiang Middle School will organize the China and Foreign School Exchange Meeting in which a friendly cooperation framework agreement is expected to be signed.

The convention, which was initiated in 2008 by the Jurong Junior College in Singapore, has been held for 3 years in a row.

Apealing to top schools across Asian, it has become an international communication plantform for excellent students to develop their charater and leadership skills.

Liu Shuangze contributed to the story.