Confucianism In Modern China

Confucianism In Modern China

 “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life”- Confucius

Confucianism has played a significant role in actively shaping the Chinese society and culture. It had flourished in Chinese society for a long time until the 19^th century when its popularity was dwindled by communism. By definition, Confucianism is a way of life that abides by the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BCE). Confucian ideas and teachings are considered to be quite integral in Chinese society as they touch on every domain of human concern. The practice of Confucianism was well spread in the ancient Chinese society and was even considered to be a form of primordial religion at some point in history. This was because Confucianism was practised by the whole Chinese society starting from the Chinese royalty to the commoners. The acceptance and endorsement of Confucian thought by Chinese nobility and leading intellectuals led to its widespread integration in Chinese culture. This aided the propagation of the practice across centuries to modern society. The impact of Confucianism in Chinese civilization across millennia has cemented its permanence in Chinese culture and history. Therefore, Confucianism is still influential in modern china as it encompasses aspects such as art, politics, philosophy, ideology, education, ethos and values.

Confucius

The teachings and ideals of Confucianism originate from the Chinese philosopher Confucius. Confucius was a philosopher, a thinker and a teacher with political involvement[1]. He lived in ancient china between 551-479 BCE and is the founder of Ruism – Chinese Ru school of thought. His real name was Kong Qiu and was well known as Master Kong. He was a philosopher and teacher whose ideas and quotes have become china’s primary handbook on government. The influence of Confucius increased after his death with some hailing him as the “uncrowned king”[2]. Confucius is regarded as the most significant Chinese philosopher, and his teachings and ideal considered synonymous with Chinese culture and traditions. However, little is known about the philosopher, and what is known is shrouded in myth and contradiction. This is because the sources of information about his life were compiled well after his death and each paint a contradicting personality and picture of the man[3]. The three primary sources of biographical information about Confucius are the Analects, Zuozhuan, and Mengzi. Information about Confucius is mainly contained in legends and myths about his life. Despite the non-consensus about the life of Confucius, there is no debate about his teachings and ideas and their influence in both ancient and modern Chinese society.

History of Confucianism

Confucianism has played a vital role in the development of Chinese culture and tradition. In ancient China, Confucianism was widely regarded as a form of civil religion as it endorsed values of respect and well-being of others. Although Confucius is considered the father and founder of Confucianism, some scholars believe that the practice began well before his birth during the Zhou dynasty[4]. In fact, Confucius did not consider himself the founder of the philosophy but a teacher who propagated the principles and ideologies of the early Zhou period. Confucius was born at a time when the Zhou philosophy was collapsing. The society at the time had abandoned most traditional values and was characterized by political struggles, cultural decay And moral decline[5]. Therefore, Confucius sought to teach the ideals of respect for one another and the well-being of everyone in society. However, the teachings of Confucianism that are familiar today took root during the Han Dynasty (140-87 BC) when the Analects were compiled.

The evolution of Confucianism in historical china was also fueled by continued endorsements and teachings of the students of Master Kong. These students include Mencius (Meng Zi) and Xun Zi whose teachings are also incorporated into the philosophy[6]. The resulting form of Confucianism was partly a cultural way of life as well as a primordial religion. The dominance of Confucianism in Chinese culture and society was challenged in the 19^th century. This reversal on political dependence on Confucianism came during the “May 4th Movement” of 1916-1921[7]. This period experienced a mass crusade of violent protests against the social-cultural, political and intellectual paradigm of mainland china. The protesters held the view that the traditional Chinese cultures were deadweight that stagnated the progress of the country. Therefore cultures and philosophies such as Confucianism were abandoned in favour of communism. This led to the mass exit of most Confucian scholars to other countries around china, consequently spreading the philosophy in East Asia.

Values of Confucianism

In its basic form, Confucianism was a set of rules of conduct for the Chinese society[8]. The rules were all-inclusive as they encompassed both the Chinese aristocrats and commoners of the time. Therefore. Every person in the society, regardless of their status in society, could follow the teachings of Ruism. Confucius believed that everyone, king or peasant, was equal and could live by the ideals of his philosophy in their daily lives. Confucianism specified a set of five essential values that guided its philosophy. To be a follower of Confucianism, one has to follow these values[9]. The fie values espoused by Confucianism our humanness and humanity (Ren), righteousness (Yi), proper rites or civilities (Li), wisdom or knowledge (Zhi), and faithfulness or integrity (Xin)-cite-. These values were ingrained in every aspect of culture, religion and politics in Chinese society. The values enforced the philosophy of respect for each other and the well-being of every member of society. Together with the five core values, Confucianism also specified filial piety (Xiao), as a cornerstone virtue of the philosophy[10]. Modern Confucianism still upholds these values by adapting them to different aspects of daily life.

Modern Confucianism

The Chinese government and its people are today proud of their Confucian heritage and graciously assimilate its teachings. However, this has not been the case in the past couple of decades. Confucianism in china had significantly reduced in the last century after the May 4^th Movement of 1919[11]. The student protests against the traditional Chinese cultures, including Confucianism, had the objective of eradicating Chinas imperial past. The May 4^th movement led to the creation of the Chinese communist party. Communism became the new order of the day effectively ending the Chinese patriarchy and authoritarian form of government[12]. Chinas first communist leader, Mao Zedong, was perhaps the most anti-Confucius leader ever. He blamed Confucianism for most of Chinas problems and dedicated his term on eradicating the philosophy and replacing it with communist ideologies. However, the communist party has over the years realized the usefulness of Confucianism in their model of governance[13]. This consequently led to leaders who succeeded Mao Zedong, such as current president Xi Jinping, to integrate the teachings and ideologies of Confucianism as the centre of Chinese politics and society. Confucianism has today been incorporated in almost every aspect of Chinese culture and society, including education, government and society.

Chinese Culture And Heritage

Being one of the oldest nations in the world, China has a wealth of traditions and cultural heritage. This cultural heritage is heavily influenced by Confucianism as it touches on most aspects of Chinese society. The Confucian philosophy is built on the foundation of an ancient religion that defined social values and transcendent ideals of the Chinese traditional society[14]. However, Confucianism is not a religion but a system of ethical philosophy. In fact, the main objective of Master Kong was not to found a new religion but to revive the ideals of the unnamed religion and culture of the Zhou Dynasty[15]. Despite this fact, Ruism is commonly considered a form of civil religion akin to Buddhism and other primordial religions. Apart from religion, Confucianism is also deeply engrained in Chinese politics and governance. Most of the ideologies of Confucianism have been incorporated in leadership models of both past and present Chinese leaders. The influence of Confucianism on Chinese culture and heritage is primarily attributed to the values of the philosophy[16]. The values of Confucianism relate to humanism in daily life which encourage respect for each other and the well-being of all people. Therefore, Confucianism is still relevant in modern Chinese society as their culture is deeply rooted in these values.

Confucianism And Communism

Communism and Confucianism have had a complicated relationship in Chinese culture, politics and governance. The first interaction of the two philosophies was after the May 4^th movement of 1919. This included violent protests by students and citizens against the traditional patriarchy and authoritarian government in favour of a new communist leadership[17]. At this time, communism and Confucianism were considered opposites with most of the social problems and subjugation allegations being blamed on traditional Confucian teachings and ideologies. It is this notion that fueled Mao Zedong’s anti-Confucian efforts aimed at completely eradicating the philosophy in Chinese culture and government. The end result was the decline of Confucian influence in china in favour of the now prevailing communist ideologies. This later changed when the Chinese government realized the importance of Confucian doctrines in the communist leadership[18]. The version of Confucianism currently adopted by the communist Chinese government is, however, quite different from the ancient form of Ruism.

While the historical Confucianism was based on the analects, modern Confucianism is founded on imperial Confucianism[19]. On the one hand, traditional Ruism based on the analects teaches humanism, respect and well-being of all people. On the other hand, Modern imperial Confucianism adopted by the Chinese communist government is all about hierarchy, loyalty and obedience to the emperor. The imperial form of Confucianism conveniently fits into the modern Chinese government as it helps them to justify most of their ideologies. The modern Chinese society does not entirely subscribe to Mao’s Marxist rhetoric anymore as it doesn’t fit the ideals of the modern world[20]. The search for a new ideology to meet the new needs-led back to Confucianism. Like its use in ancient china by the old emperors, Confucianism offers the communist leadership a political tradition that fits their authoritarian type of rule. Confucianism also has the advantage of repelling ideologies from the west that advocate for human rights and democracy among others[21]. The revival of Confucianism in the modern Chinese communist rule has helped the government to propagate the notion that China has its own political culture based on traditional philosophical heritage.

Confucianism In Education

In the world of scholars, Confucius is the most notable Chinese scholar and thinker. Consequently, the philosopher has had a massive impact on Chinese education as his ideals are incorporated in some of the Chinese teachings. The influence of Confucianism in Chinese education can be seen in studies including politics, cultural heritage, moral values and religion. The influence of Confucius in education can also be attributed to the Chinese governments brand china initiative[22]. The centrepiece of this campaign is the establishment of Chinas Confucius institute. The initiative is one of the most significant public diplomacy programs in the world and currently includes more than 1000 Confucius institutes around the world. With over 4000 years of history, Confucianism has been chosen by the Chinese government to be Chinas beacon in language and culture education. Confucius ideals and teachings now dominate Chinas educational curriculum effectively replacing Mao’s Marxist ideologies[23]. The extent of Confucianism is so extensive that mastery of confusion thought and memorization of the Analects is now key to passing civil service exams. Chinese schools are once again implementing a Confucian curriculum in all social classes starting from the elite schools to the public schools. This has led to the emergence of new Confucius acolytes in mainland China as well as East Asia.

Impact of Modern Confucianism

It is evident that while Confucian values have remained constant across the decades, their underlying meanings in modern china are far from they meant in the time of Confucius. The resurgence of Confucianism has been largely attributed to adaptations by the communist party[24]. The new form of Confucianism clearly exemplifies the disparity in ideologies from the original analects. However, both forms of Confucianism have had a significant impact on modern-day china. For starters, modern Confucianism has had a great impact on the country’s politics and governance. Through the adaptation of the imperial form of Confucianism, the government has been able to effectively impose continued communist rule in mainland China. Confucianism has also enabled the government to define a unique political and philosophical model of governance that is founded on traditional Chinese cultural heritage. Confucianism has similarly had an impact on education in modern china. School curriculums are now heavily based on Confucian teachings and ideologies which blend both traditional and modern Chinese culture[25]. The adaptation of Confucianism in education has led to the creation of Confucius institutes in china and around the world which teach Chinese culture and language. Another aspect of Chinese society that has been impacted by Confucianism has been religion and spirituality. More and more ordinary people are now turning to Confucian ideologies and teachings in the quest for spiritual nourishment. Confucianism has helped people get spiritual fulfilment that they feel has been missing in their lives. These examples show that Confucianism is still relevant in modern china as it is having a high impact on multiple aspects of Chinese culture and society.

Conclusion

Confucianism is still relevant today, just like it was in historical china. From the period of emperors who ruled over dynasties in a patriarchal society to the current communist regime that imposes authoritarian rule, Confucianism has remained relevant. Although the philosophy of Confucius had suffered a major blow in the past few decades, it is currently staging a notable comeback. The relationship between Confucianism and communism has in time proved to be quite complex as the once bitter rivals have today adapted to each other. Confucianism has had quite a significant impact on Chinese culture and society as a whole. This impact is seen in social, cultural aspects such as religion, education, and politics. One notable difference in the influence of Confucian ideologies in modern-day china has been in government. The communist party has adapted Imperial Ruism in their authoritarian rule. Moreover, the Chinese government has played a big hand in the integration of Confucianism back in Chinese culture. This influence has shaped Confucius in modern china. In conclusion, it is clearly evident that Confucianism is still relevant in modern china and promises to play a bigger role in the future of the country.

Bibliography

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[1] Vinit Wadhavkar. 2017. Confucianism in Modern China.

[2] Simon Worrall. 2015. Why Is Confucius Still Relevant Today? His Sound Bites Hold Up.

[3] Jeffrey Riegel 2013. “Confucius.” (The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

[4] Riegel 2013. “Confucius.”

[5] Seong Hwan Cha. 2003. “Modern Chinese Confucianism: The contemporary neo-Confucian movement and its cultural significance.” (Social Compass

[6]

[7] Salvatore Babones. 2017. China’s new-found love for Confucius.

[8] Berling. 2017. Confucianism

[9] Vinit Wadhavkar. 2017. Confucianism in Modern China

[10] Ibid.

[11] Reginald Fleming Johnston. 2014. Confucianism and modern China. (Cambridge University Press)

[12] Ibid.

[13] Simon Worrall. 2015. Why Is Confucius Still Relevant Today? His Sound Bites Hold Up.

[14] Ibid

[15] Ibid

[16] Gary F. Keller, and Craig R. Kronstadt. 2005. “Connecting Confucianism, communism, and the Chinese culture of commerce.” (The journal of language for international business) 60

[17] Ibid.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Ibid.

[20] Ibid.

[21] Wenhua Chai. 2006. ” Traditional Confucianism in modern China: Ma Yifu’s ethical thought.” (Frontiers of Philosophy in China)

[22] Ibid.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Ibid.