A poster for the musical Nan Kong, also called Southern Confucianism. [Photo/WeChat account: quzhoufb]

Nan Kong, also called Southern Confucianism, China's first original musical centered on Southern Confucianism, is set to kick off its 2026 national tour, with the production team announcing the schedule and arrangements for this year's performances.

The musical recounts the tale of Kong Zhu (1231–91), the 53rd direct descendant of Confucius, who gave up his noble title and returned to Quzhou in Zhejiang province to dedicate himself to promoting Confucian culture.

The tour will kick off at the Hangzhou Grand Canal Theater in Hangzhou on Feb 6 and 7.

Throughout March and April, the show will continue in 12 cities across China, including Yulin in Shaanxi province, Taiyuan in Shanxi province, Zibo and Binzhou in Shandong province, Huai'an and Changshu in Jiangsu province, Nanchang, Ganzhou, Yichun, and Ji'an in Jiangxi province, Hengyang in Hunan province, and Haikou in Hainan province.

Since its premiere in 2023, the musical has been performed over 140 times in more than 40 cities nationwide.

In October 2025, the musical made its international debut with performances in Singapore and Malaysia.