Founded by the Confucius Medal Organizing Committee (CMOC), the International Friendship Award of Confucius Medal is awarded to those people who have always thought highly of Confucius thoughts of Great Harmony and have made outstanding contributions in this field, as well as those who have greatly promoted cultural exchanges and mutual friendship between China and other countries.
   The International Friendship Award is one in a series of Confucius Medal. Every year the CMOC   Secretariat nominates candidates and commits them to the executive meeting of CMOC Presidium for  authorization. The winners will be awarded by the president of CMOC Presidium.  
   The medal of The International Friendship Award is made by Hetian jade (nephrite, one of China’s most famous jades). The patterns of the medal are composed of a portrait of Confucius in the m-iddle surrounded by 3 concentric circles as well as 72 lines. These mean that Confucius possesses from 72 sages out of 3,000 disciples. Confucius portrait (created by Wu Daozi in Tang Dynasty) in the middle of the medal symbolizes that Confucianism, like the sun shines the world, will live on forever and bring benefits to all the people.