June 9, 2004 ☼ Foreign Affairs
This is an archived blog post from The Acorn.
Its official. The Chinese government has decided to revive Confucious and ‘re-enter him into mainstream culture’.
Chinese feudal rulers enshrined Confucianism as the orthodox school of thought since the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD). It also spread far into east and south Asia far back in history, where the influence can still be felt today.
Efforts were made to banish it from the mainstream culture in China in the early and middle parts of the 20th century, as revolutionaries were eager to break away from the old and the past.
Its value has been recognized again and Confucian teachings have been readmitted as valuable cultural heritage. Dissemination of Confucian instructions has restarted in numerous schools, colleges and universities and statues of Confucius are found in more than 1,000 Chinese schools and colleges. [People’s Daily]Like many a communist appartchik, Confucious is on his way to revival and rehabilitation. Perhaps the growing social discontent arising from widening income gaps and heavy-handed population control policies is causing the political leadership to look for a balm. Still suspicious of organised religion, the Communists may be hoping old man Confucious can provide the salve the society so very much needs.
“Confucian ideology is important to administrators of all countries in the world,” said Zhang Zhuxiu, an official of the Shandong Provincial Government. “If an administration does not care for the interests of the masses, it is sure to be short-lived.” [People’s Daily]
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