China's leaders rediscover Confucianism

International Herald Tribune ^ | September 14, 2006 | Daniel A. Bell

[Mrs. Don-o]

Marxism no longer serves as Chinese society's guiding ideology. But that doesn't mean the end of ideology. Western experts hope liberal democracy will fill the void, but...

In China, the moral vacuum is being filled by Christian sects, Falun Gong and extreme forms of nationalism. But the government considers that such alternatives threaten the hard-won peace and stability that underpins China's development, so it has encouraged the revival of Confucianism.

..."Confucius said, 'Harmony is something to be cherished,'" President Hu Jintao noted in February 2005. A few months later, he instructed China's party cadres to build a "harmonious society." Echoing Confucian themes, Hu said China should promote such values as honesty and unity, as well as forge a closer relationship between the people and the government.

The teaching curriculum for secondary schools now includes teaching of the Confucian classics, and several experimental schools have been set up that focus largely on the classics....

For the government, the promotion of Confucian values has several advantages. Domestically, the affirmation of harmony is meant to reflect the ruling party's concern for all classes. Threatened by rural discontent - there were 87,000 illegal disturbances [reported]last year - the government realizes that it needs to do more for those bearing the brunt of China's development. Internationally, the call for peace and harmony is meant to disarm fears about China's rapid rise.

How does Confucianism resonate in society at large? At some level, especially regarding family ethics, Confucian values still inform ways of life. Filial piety, for example, is still widely endorsed and practiced: Adult children have a legal obligation to care for their elderly parents.

Many intellectuals have turned to Confucianism to make sense of such social practices and to think of ways of dealing with China's current moral and political predicament. ...

[Wuli]

As usual, you bring your knowledge to bear on subjects many of us are less informed on. Thanks.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"I am sure that Confucianism is a far better way to live but Christianity would be much better."

Oh, I fully agree. My point was that Christianity is compatible with Natural Law and can build on it (grace builds on nature); and so to the extent that Confucism has features of Natural Law, it creates a better pre-evangelical situation than, say, Marxism or idol-worshipping-type paganism.