Confucius: Part 1. His Context 孔教: 说清中华文魂
Family, education, tradition. For thousands of years these were the very foundations of the Chinese identity and by extension: East Asian culture. These observations are apparent enough that even outsiders would attribute these same qualities to East Asians. These same qualities were the pillars of Confucianism. If we examine Confucianism properly, East Asian will- in many ways began to make sense, much like the missing pieces of a proverbial puzzle coming together.
Many in the west dismiss the man as the ultimate square, a boring, bossy conformist teacher, ala a Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall." A man who- from the western perspective, by nature empowers the status quo, threatens individual liberty, and for millennia endlessly empowered oriental despotism. A man who, there was nothing sexy or exotic about, at least compared to the chill (and ever- permissive) figures like the Buddha and Lao Tzu. Rarely is there a man who is both disparaged and unclaimed by progressives, libertarians, theists, and even the far right alike to be so utterly incompatible in the west. However, Confucius in context was nothing less than remarkable.
In the following chapters, I shall try to cover of Confucius' life and his central philosophical tenets in broad strokes: of the life of Confucius in context. However before I start I want to make it clear that I don't think of myself as a Confucian, I share some of his perspectives but by and large I consider myself something else. Still, I feel I have a need to come to his defense because a large swath his detractors in the English speaking internet simply didn't bother to get where he was coming from before putting him off. I am writing this piece because over the last decade I am greatly disappointing by the majority of the mainstream discourses covering Confucius and his core philosophy. Worse yet, I am bothered by some of the flat out misrepresentation of Confucius' perspectives by people who had never bothered to look deeper into the man.
Confucianism in Chinese: "RU" meaning
"School of the Learned,"
He was starkly secular in an age filled with capricious cults, avant garde in his advocation of enlightened monarchies, meritocratic in his advocation where~ through inner transformation all men could- through hard work and learning- despite whatever their births could be as worthy as princes. His aspects are the great schools and strong families. His ways~ when externalized, is an individual being totally accountable of himself and all men being each other's brothers and keepers. Where we are being our most when we are each other's human being.
My central gripe being: if you don't know and didn't bother to understand his positions, if you don't understand the context from where he arose from, then where does one get the authority to flat out demean it and deride it? It is bad faith to dimiss and castigate someone without at least knowing him. Thus It could be said that it is my intention in these articles to at least present some quick bulletins so there is a way to understand the context of Confucianism and how it sees the world. In many ways, the modern world might actually have a need of the old philosopher's gifts. For here was a man who was born in mud, and ended in the mud, but during his time in this world of ours, gave us some very unique insights that not only help us endure in a world filled with neglect and irresponsibility, but to also serve as a balm that heals not only ourselves but the disrupted bonds between ourselves and our fellow men. Ren 仁 ~ or "human hearted-ness" is after all, the highest virtue of all according to the old master.
Music: Dynasty
...Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
-William Butler Yeats
AN IRRESPONSIBLE, BROKEN WORLD
The world was already broken to pieces when Confucius came along. Confucius was born during the height of violence during the final days of the Spring and Autumn period. For nearly 300 years, the various feudal states of the Zhou dynasty had disintegrated into hundreds of autonomous rival kingdoms and warring city-states. The 2 centuries leading to Confucius' birth saw some of the greatest of these states become unchallenged masters in their local regions. What soon followed was a vicious cycle of violence. The greatest lords threw their weight against their rivals in a ceaseless series of titanic wars~ some which numbered in the hundreds of thousands. These lords not only openly flaunted the royal authority of the Zhou Kings but by time time of Confucius birth some of them had became so emboldened that they openly elevated themselves as kings- answerable only to themselves.
Precipice toward total war: unrivaled and answerable only to themselves, in the final phases of the Spring and Autumn period, many great lords became de facto kings in their respective domains, The greatest of these lords (colored) were conferred titles such as "Ba" 霸 which meant "Hegemons" - they could be thought of as ancient Chinese Shoguns: supreme lord of all under heaven, aloof to all except the Zhou Kings. The next few centuries after Confucius would see all of the great lords war with each other for supremacy in the highly destructive Warring States period.
Worse yet: throughout the entire life of Confucius, the violence of the great lords would continue to escalate and then became much more destructive in an ever worsen cycle. In fact, by the time of Confucius' death, the realm would enter the even more violent Warring States period and see violence on all fronts. This blasted realm of fratricide and inhumanity would be the constant backdrop of Confucius' life. And in this unforgiving time of strife and prejudice was born an ugly, unassuming child- one who probably was not even supposed to be born.
INAUSPICIOUS BEGINNINGS
The first thing to understand about Confucius that he was fundamentally human- with all of humanity's foibles, a brutally...ordinary being distinguished by his outlook rather than anything that was ordained. Many of the ancient religions and philosophies across the Mid East and the west frequently depicts its religion's founder or central deity in ideal, miraculous forms. Apollo and Mystra both possessed idealist human physiques that is frozen in sensual marble. However when one regard many of the paintings depicting Confucius, the first thing that many fresh lookers would notice was...his unassuming hideousness. He was always depicted like a bald, unattractive man with a prominent gap tooth. If anything he was profoundly, deeply unexceptional and flawed (in contrast to the idealized gods and prophets.) Even more, that when compared to a lot of those prophets and Gods full of miracles and vitality in other religions. Confucius' life could be said to have began with human sins.
AN ERRANT BIRTH
Before we continue, it's important that we understand that the name: Confucius, is a western invention created by the 16th century Jesuit priests. The name "Confucius" is a Latinized form of the Mandarin Chinese "Kǒng Fūzǐ" (孔夫子, meaning "Master Kǒng" shortened as "Kǒng Zǐ") He was born into the Kong clan in the area of Shandong in eastern China.
Confucius's father had been a low ranking general serving the lords of Lu
Confucius's proper name was Kong Qiu, his father Kong He had been a low ranking general serving the lords of Lu, the general was in his seventies when he took Confucius mother as a concubine. Kong He was seventy, and his mother only fifteen at his birth. Many speculated why the old general took her into his family at such an advanced age but the likehood was that Confuciu's mother was already pregnant by that point. Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian" (史记), -compiled some 400 years later, indicate that Confucius was conceived out of wedlock through a "wild union" (野合). His father died when he was three, and Confuciu's mother was ejected from the official branch of the Kong family.
In the Analects, Confucius's was quoted in saying that during his youth he was poor and was forced to acquire many different skills. Kong Qiu was brought up in poverty by his mother, who taught him how to farm enough to survive. However, one distinction saved him from starvation and the life of a subsistence farmer. For Kong Qiu- what gave him purpose was the distinction of his class. Despite the misfortunes of his early life and the impoverished conditions he found himself in, the young Kong Qiu was still one of the prominent classes in society: the Shì (士) or the "Retainer" class (also translated as "Attendants") of scholars.
LIFE OF A SCHOLAR ATTENDANT
Music: Tea Ceremony
A ENDLESS STUDENT
The Shi class was one of the 4 classes in ancient China, and could be conceptualized as knights of the mind in ancient China, similar to the samurai- turned bureaucrat of Edo Japan, or the French Noble of the Robes "Noblesse de robe" in the Ancient Regime. They were men of exceptional intelligence kept by the great lords. The Shi 士 were originally a militaristic order composed of minor nobles who served as charioteers and chariot mounted guards of the great lords of Shang and early Zhou dynasties. However by the time of Confucius, the changing nature of warfare eventually transformed most of the Shi class from warriors to highly educated scholars who served as scribes, secretaries, courtiers, advisers, strategists, and ultimately- powerful ministers for their lords.
However, unlike many of the powerful blood nobles of the realm, most of the Shi must prove their usefulness through merit in order to be retained in the great houses of the period. Many of the most remarkable minds of ancient China from this class, from Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu, Su Qin, Mencius, all came from this class. They straddled between the old nobility and the common people. Eventually, Shi became synonymous with prominent intellectuals and many of them would found hundreds of schools of thoughts in what was known as the Hundred School of Thought: a golden age of Chinese philosophy.
AN ENDLESS TEACHER
The life of Kong Qiu- Confucius followed the template of many of his contemporary Shi- scholars. Even in his youth, Kong Qiu distinguished himself as an voracious learner in his teens and tried to read as much scrolls as possible whenever he found them. The endless student soon mastered the six arts—ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and arithmetic—and his familiarity with the classical traditions, notably poetry and history, enabled him to start a career as a tutor.
However he was very unique compared to other teachers: or more precisely, private tutors, during his time, tutors were only able to be afforded by rich aristocratic families, lessons were taught in great manors and cloistered estates. Despite his humble financial situations, Kong Qiu opened his lessons for all, be they the sons of princes or lowly commoners. Throughout his entire life, Kong firmly believed that education is essential and should be provided for all- believing that education not only transforms individuals but whole societies. And it is crucial before we move on that we understand that Kong Qiu saw almost everything in terms of community. Soon many came to seek his tutelage, and his talent was made clear to the powers of the land. In time Kong was accepted into the court of the Duke of Lu. This was a highly prestigious post.
The wealthy Lu court was always brimming with bright scholars. It was a testament for Kong Qiu to grow from an impoverished student to rise among this gathering of fine scholars. His ascension served to demonstrate the meritocratic nature of Shi scholars in the courtly life of the Zhou lords.
A COURT OF SCHOLARS
Though Lu was not one of the great powers during this chaotic period, it was still a respected regional power and a highly illustrious one~ the line of the Dukes of Lu having descended from the royal Ji 姬 clan of the Zhou Kings themselves. Where as the greatest of the lords on the wide fringes of the kingdom prided themselves on military prowess and ambitious gambits, Lu was a hub of scholarship for intellectuals.
It was in the court of Lu that the young Kong Qiu found his calling. Kong served in minor Lu government posts that managed stables, kept books for granaries, and supervised the fields before he married a woman of similar background when he was 19. When Kong Qiu was 23, his mother died, sending him to three years of mourning. He was not particularly a family man, but rather a workaholic who devoted much of his time either in service to the Lu government or in educating his students.
When Kong Qiu was 32 he was given his first major courtly appointment. promoted as a buildings minister where he was tasked with overseeing construction projects across the Lu state. It was during these years that some of Kong Qiu's world views began to solidify. Despite the largely tranquil state of Lu, Kong Qiu was well aware that he lived in an intensely strife- filled era. Both privately and publicly, Kong began to look at society itself and think of ways to systematically repair the broken political order which he lived in.
Though Lu was not one of the great powers during this chaotic period, it was still a respected regional power and a highly illustrious one~ the line of the Dukes of Lu having descended from the royal Ji 姬 clan of the Zhou Kings themselves. Where as the greatest of the lords on the wide fringes of the kingdom prided themselves on military prowess and ambitious gambits, Lu was a hub of scholarship for intellectuals.
Despite Confucius' station and achievements, he lived a frugal life. However, it could be argued that some of his greatest achievements actually came to fruition long after his death. The Kong clan became respected throughout China. For the next 2 millennia, many of his descendants would be great scholars as well as remarkable ministers. His 20th generation descendant Kong Rong (Above) was a prominent minister during the Three Kingdom era, the 79th generation descendant of the Kong family still served important functions in Republic of China (Taiwan) today.
ENDLESS SERVICE
Kong Qiu was well on his way to become a pillar of Lu. After many years of service, Kong Qiu rose to the ranks of Minister of Justice at the age of 51- one of the most important positions within the court. Duke Ding of Lu 鲁定公 (reign 510-495) himself was particularly impressed by Kong and increasingly relied on the old master.
Kong's outlook was a curious mixture of idealism and traditionalism: he always looked toward the old paragons of the Chinese civilization for inspiration, he always saw men as forever possible to be reformed toward goodness and virtue. One day he would get the change to put his theories into practice- until then, he worked toward it. We will outline Confucius's outlook and personal reflections in detail in the following chapter.
Art by lathander1987: It was during this time that Confucius might have met Li Er (Lao Tzu/ Laozi) who was his contemporary. Lao Tzu was 20 years's senior of Confucius and worked as a royal archivist serving the in Zhou court at Luoyang. When Confucius served as the minister of Lu he made several trips to Luoyang- including personally accompanying the Duke of Lu for fear that assassins might waylay his master.
The state of Lu at the time of Confucius' life. Lu (dark blue) was in an unenviable position. Although it was a regional power, in the increasingly big fish eats small fish world of 5th Century BC China, it's autonomy was rapidly threatened by the great powers of Qi and Jin. It is told that in 501, Kong Qiu was able to appease the Duke of Qi and to save his home country from a military invasion by Qi.
THE PILLAR OF LU
Then, during that same decade, Kong Qiu was able to rise yet again and become the Chancellor of Lu: the right hand of the Duke himself. The Duke of Lu continued to maintain his close ties with Confucius, and often consulted him on trivial matters. Under Kong’s council, the state of Lu rose among the most prosperous and influential states of the era. During this time, Lu was constantly threatened by the much more powerful state of Qi to it's entire northern flank- and Lu spent much time both dealing with Qi and Jin. It is told that in 501, Kong Qiu was able to appease the Duke of Qi and to save his home country from a military invasion by Qi.
With such immense powers naturally came immense responsibilities. And upon the ascension of Kong Qiu to the position of Chancellor- Kong began to think of not only correcting the woes of Lu but perhaps diagnosing the societal ails of the whole realm as a whole.
LOST IT'S WAY
Music: Mandate of Heaven
Well versed in history, master Kong Qiu could not help but notice the stark contrast between the mess of the age in which he lived, and the upright society that the Zhou realm had once been. Simply put, to him, Kong Qiu diagnosed that the Zhou has lost its way. It lost its way because the leaders that are leading it lacked the virtues of their upright ancestors.
...The world was once upright, but all have lost their way. When all abandoned their duties, the world ends in disorder...
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Comments
Having lived in the west for so long I kind of came to the realization that Buddha, Lao Tzu were popular in the west because they were very permissive. People looked toward them as some kind of nonthreatening alternatives to the judgement- filled castigation from Old Testament types. But on a societal level I find both Buddhism and Daoism somewhat irresponsible. In fact I find both to be akin to opiates that makes people seek escape from their circumstances, their society, their role, to be ultimately immune to their fellow men- then *frame that as solution.* Don't get me wrong, as individualistic religions they are fine and as valid as any others, but I find their diagnosis insufficient on a societal level.
The airy type of people who shrugs and says: "Oh well, at least I have my equanimity" when they shrug off caring for their family's affairs, their children, their consequences is simply a horror show for me. My number one reaction to those people is thinking, 🤔 "So who is going to clean up your mess?" The idealized Buddhist or Daoist drifts away from worries and circumstances like some kind of floating saint- calling their ultimate escape freedom, where as the problems that they witnessed in their life times still persists, their family, their job, their nation's ills still persists, and now there is a human sized hole missing from where such a person deserted.
"Oh well," but did the buck pass though? Surely now that it's someone else's mess to clean up. In short, the Daoists who found themselves in the Spring Autumn period, then the worst days of the Warring States period probably shrugged, laughed at all the fools who took things too seriously, retreated to some remote cottages then passed the proverbial buck to fools who are still saddled with the mess to fix things until things are restored again. Meanwhile the Confucians are fools who are like the proverbial sewer plumbers who tried to fix somethings, clean up the mess, and restore things to working order. And most of all? Confucius and many of his followers were unique in the ancient world to firmly believe that this one life we got is the only one we got, and that we should be responsible to our fellowmen and our society for all the time we are in this world.
Confucius is probably the east Asian most famous in the west and very much has been attributed to him since his discovery by the west trough the Jesuits. At first he was more often than not a larger than life thinker to be admired (the "Chinese Aristotle"), who has laid the foundations of an admirable society aspects of which needed to be emulated. One should remember that while in the16-18th centuries Europeans had visited most of the world, it was only in east Asia that they did see the "natives" as their equals, while looking down on everyone else. As the west became more developed, wealthy and advanced then China by the 19th century the perception changed to what you describe at the beginning of this article. Confucius was more and more seen as the man who created east Asian culture and with it the "stagnancy" "collectivism" and "rigidity" that were attributed to it. This view was soon shared by many east Asians themselves (particularly in Japan, where Confucianism had less deep roots then in China or Korea).
The rise of Japan to the rank of a developed country seemed to confirm that it needed for deep westernization for a nonwestern country to become rich and powerful, this of course did ignore that the people leading the Meiji restoration were mostly members of Confucian study circles and that the society they built was highly ritualized and influenced by Confucian as well as by western ideas (in some ways it was more Confucian then the Tokugawa shogunate.)
But then occurred a process that changed the minds of many westerners towards Confucianism. And this process was the rise of the rest of the sinosphere to the level of the west. After Japan came South Korea, the ROC/Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, then came the rise of China and now even of Vietnam.
This all happened while most of the rest of the world (even areas which had far more contact to western ideas like Latin America or the middle east, did not converge to western levels, instead growing on about the same level as the west itself.) did remain on about the same distance to the west as it has been 1960. The exceptions are usually Confucian countries and countries that have a small population and massive natural resources (I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years, Vietnam, torn by war and communism will be richer then Thailand, which wasn't even a colony).
All this created a different view of Confucianism and I've seen many Westerners praising it for creating societies that valued learning, hard work and cooperation, which then could get into the first world, from a hindrance Confucianism did become an explanation for the uniqueness of east Asia, hence in my opinion the view is far from one sided and I think that since Westerners are slowly returning to a view of east Asia similar to that of their 17th century ancestors, the view of Confucius will continue to change to something similar to that of 17th century westerners (albeit hopefully a more nuanced one).
On another note, I did hear from a Westerner who has lived in Japan, China and on Taiwan that Westerners tend to judge Confucianism by its Japanese version and that "Chinese Confucianism was never as rigid". He did also tell me that Japanese interpreters of Confucius did place higher value on the loyalty to the lord then on filial piety and on ritual then on care for the people vs Chinese interpreters.
Yes, there are definitely different emphasis toward the aspects of Confucianism in different parts of Asia. Since Japan never adopted concepts like Mandate of Heaven etc- from a utilitarian perspective, what they preferred and how they see the world were naturally different. Also, a lot of the functions Confucianism would normally have served were also substituted by Buddhist teachings and institutions. So it's not quite as fundamental part of the Japanese identity/ outlook as say: compared to China, Korea, and Vietnam.
But ultimately that's just fine. Since Confucianism honors traditions and ancestors itself, when it applied to different cultures it would be natural that there would be variations both regionally within the realm as well as across nations. I mean for a man who preached to so many divided statelets and waded through so many different local traditions in his long exile he definitely foresaw that being an eventuality.
~
You know your comment's very interesting because in my attempt to communicate Confucianism I have not yet considered what Confucianism looked like from the outside~ in national terms and modernization. You are definitely right about the perception of Confucianism, kind of think of it, it is very strong isn't it? Like a silent dragon that's just there, sitting, and breathing with the society itself.
I think from a societal perspective, it offers something very cohesive, there is something cyclical about it: old paragons re- honored, their stories retold- by extension the culture rekindled, and the norms- the way of the people and the nation perpetuating itself. This is why although a lot of the cultures of the East Asia were deeply challenged, and many of its states collapse and transformed, the subtle fundamentals are still there, no foreign invasions or disastrous cannibalistic reforms could unroot the fundamentals of family, education, and tradition.
On a national level, I think it would be right to attribute a lot of the headways East Asian cultures were able to make on Confucianism. On a domestic level, it creates a very well defined native in group identity. It defines core values like education, family, and hierarchy. Once these hinge points are established, a microcosm of world order is established.
This In-Group conceptualization of itself is essential. It tasks the native elites of upholding the values ways of their ancestors, but simultaneously gave the lowly a chance to be elevated into the ranks of the learned elite through service. Most of all, it asks all who wished to move up society with understanding and preserving the culture itself. There is a feedback loop where the contemplation of culture, or the state is linked with upward social mobility, and where across generations, this endless learning rekindles the ancient lessons across generations. Honestly I think this is how the largely insular Oriental cultures preserved itself. Having an internal renewal mechanism that perpetuates itself. This is why when troubled time came, and when many of the options have been tested and failed, there would be a strong in-group that's able to be mobilized toward development + modernization etc.
I personally don't know how much influence Confucius teachings had on different EA societies, some say it was near total, others that it wasn't as much as was often claimed and that it was mostly an upper class way, while the lower classes had morals that were far more shaped by Buddhism, "Daoism" (animist folkways) and that Confucianism should be rather compared to stoic or epicurean philosophy in the Roman empire then with the monotheistic mass religions like Christianity or Islam, that were shared by rich and poor alike. Others again do claim that Neoconfucianism, that arose during the late Tang had "little(or even "nothing") in common with "original Confucianism". Sadly I do not know nearly enough to have a strong opinion(which is why I read, for example, your Blog). But I think that it has influenced EA societies and especially China far more then Stoicism ever did Roman society, since while Stoicism and other philosophical schools of Antiquity were directed towards individuals, Confucius did create a teaching that was designed for both individuals and societies (understanding quiet well that the two are inseparable) one can also see similarities between EA societies, that persist even though such phenomena as Communism, which is meant to utterly crush old culture and replace it with something completely new. And yet I do often hear that both in the PRC and evenin North Korea Confucianism is stronger today then Communism and that in the PRC its rather extreme materialism and Confucianism that are struggling for supremacy, while Communism is lying on the sideline. Adding to this how Japan or Taiwan, or Singapore or South Korea are extremally advanced but at thesame time clearly different from the West, I would agree with you that there is something deeply rooted in EA societies that persists trough changes and reshapes every new thing these societies absorb into...something else then it was initially intended to be, I'm sure that this "something" is an amalgam of many factors, but it is usually called "Confucianism" by westerners (even if it does seem to include allot of Legalism, Singapore especially seems very legalist to me). I do think that maybe we Europeans do judge such teachings to much like our own religions and that Confucianism has over time adapted and changed, hence its later synthesis with Legalism, being a European my first reaction is to call such changes "corruptions", but I don't know if most EAs see it like this.
On another note. Your blog is dedicated to Chinese military history, which makes an article about Master Kong a strange sight at first. Here in the West its quiet common to associate Confucius with anti militarism and to explain why China, despite its economic and technological superiority never was a conquering power (there were of course the Tang, but they are overlooked in such simplistic theories). Proponent of this point of view do argue, that because Confucianism devalues the soldier, Chinas armies were always mistrusted by the scholar elites and artificially prevented from growing strong (also only the worst people became soldiers and officers, the best became Confucian scholars). Which is why nomads could take over China 2 times and why it was the Manchu Qing that actually did conquer a lot of land. Others say that only Neo-Confucianism was anti military, hence why China became militarily weaker after embracing it during the Song, which is then used to explain the relative military weakness of Song and Ming. Such people do argue that the original Confucianism was not anti military, after all in Tokugawa Japan it was the Samurai class that reviewed Confucianism and became its most strong adherents. I am hopeful, that you will address Confucianism anti militarist reputation in your articles
In regard to the western perception of EA and the attribution to Confucianism: I will say this, because of the largely sedentary nature of many of the EA nations (most have been in the general area for more than 2 millenniums) there's very strong native cultures that is very difficult to be displaced/ supplanted, even among each other.
I think when they are exposed to superior western technology or institutions, the general trend from the leadership is to mechanical adopt what works, without necessarily loose their native social fabric. I think because they are able to preserve their culture and adopt the technology at their own terms, outsiders thus attributed it to Confucianism. I think the real answer is more nuanced than that, I do think Confucianism creates a greater sense of the in group that buttresses the native traditions. However I think what drove most of the EA leadership over the 2 centuries is their practical awareness that the end of the line for closing the technological gap is the importance of doing so at their own terms. Because they were able to brace and largely avoid large scale settlement and restructure by the European powers their cultures would for the large part still be insular from western institutions and culture. Although I will say that communism itself is one of those western culture/ institutions. From an Easterner's perspective I almost could not imagine the African/ Indian experience of having your own nation's language and institution to be French or English. Although...I must admit that the very stubborn preference of doing this the old EA way might have something to do with Confucianism, or just good old preference for the familiar traditions.
As for the influence of Confucianism in Asia, and China today, I would say that it's still quite important. The 20th century might be one of the most disastrous ones for Confucianism and the general EA culture as a whole but let's not forget that it's so subtle that it's extremely hard to root out. I mean it's open facets might be attacked or banned at a time in the 20th century, but can an Eastern person one really change how they view say:~ study, family, etc? Those are very hard to be erased and still stem from a filter/ lens of thinking that has Confucian foundations. So despite its scars, it heals- because what else are people going to default to? I'll point to obvious manifestations, the modern Chinese state pretty much still has an Imperial Exam system: the Gaokao~ or National College Entrance Examination. The state's bureaucracy still rely on candidates pooled from such institutions. Korea has their version too: 수능 Suneung, or College Scholastic Ability Test, for their CEOs and high tech professors. Overall, just like in the past, upward social mobility is still inextricably linked with taking tests to prove your worth. Since the 1990s family is again greatly honored in place of revolutionary tenants or socialist ideals. Post- Deng China has certainly began to lean more on Confucianism both internally and regionally.
Like- I get it, it was created in response to a lot of external factors. It was a conservative protest to what it saw in the state of degeneracy and chaos- a sobering return to what's old, what's native, and what worked. A metaphor of a fist growing tighter and tighter in response to every external pressure. But I don't think it's the right approach nor did it work in the long term.
I mean sure the Han people and the Han way of thinking is preserved till modern day, yes. But I think by and large the Chinese of the 2nd millennium has lost their sense of exuberance compared to their ancestors in the 1st millennium: namely, that for the most part there was always a powerful steppe power that threatens the dynasties in China proper on an existential level. Be they the Khitans, the Mongols, or the Jurchen/ Manchus. In diagnosing the same period where Neo-Confucianism flourished- which corresponds largely to the 2nd millennium, the most dynamic dynasties in this period ironically had steppe origins. The Song and Ming both cannot compare to the territories and dominance of the Yuan and Qing at their respective primes. Worse yet, both died because the state was way too centralized and more than a little paranoid toward their generals. I think Neo- Confucianism does have problems in this regard (since Korea also had several largely isolationist dynasties with similar problems) although I might lay the blame more in the character of the Song dynasty~ where Neo- Confucianism was born rather than directly at Confucianism itself.
Because by nature the Song dynasty has every reason to both be wary and hate having military governors. Never forget when this philosophy was born, the beginning of the Song dynasty. The tail end of the Tang dynasty saw the realm split up into over half a century of civil war~ the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, where all of the Tang's Jiedushi (military governors) all took up arms against each other for supremacy. It lasted over 70 years and was only at length stamped out by the Gao clan. What's lesson to be learned from it? Governors cannot be trusted with military power, there should not be local military powers nor should the reign of military power ever be trusted on such men lest the dynasty end up like the Tang or the Han. It only make sense that the world after that period of civil war would there be a state philosophy that sought to safeguard the legitimate line of the imperial clan in order to prevent the realm from be devoured by ambitious men who would drag the realm into anarchy again. From this perspective did the Song become very anti- military. This is why they forced to have all of the generals' families live in the capital and regularly shafted them. I think for a philosophy born in this period naturally they took on the prejudice of their contemporary period. Over time it became a way of thinking that simply became prejudice itself towards the military. Honestly it was not until after the contact with the Europeans that the perception of military men began to dramatically change.
Some Confucian areas were colonized by western powers. Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam come to mind, not to mention the many south east asian Han, including several small Han run states on Borneo. There was also the quiet direct rule Mc Arthur imposed on Japan and South Korea,trying quiet strongly to impose western institutions on them (the Japanese bureocracy did prove to be surprisingly good in misdirection and passive resistance though). All of these societies and especially Hk and Sp have absorbed many institutions and even some culture from the colonial power. They are nevertheless among the richest and highest preforming societies on earth. The Han people in SE Asia, while experiencing regular discrimination and sometimes even genocidal massacres, still retain a much higher standart of living then the native populations and often dominate the economies of these countries. There are also EAs in the West, who on averege earn more money then the white natives. So it seems that whatever cultural codes make EAs preform so well in the modern world could not be uprooted by colonialism, nor by communism (which is indeed a very western idea, so western actually that Marx himself never aplied it to Asia, it was meant purly for the west). This is the more strange in that I did often notice Han people from HK or Taiwan or SE asia looking down on their cousins from the Mainland, arguing that their culture is "completly different", despite this the Mainland Chinese retain the elements that alow them to grow very quickly in both economy and scientific output (see NATURE index). I woud think that maybe the PRC (similar to what I have been observing in Russia, which slowly but surly sheds its soviet sickness and is turning into a normal European society) is healing of the wounds inflicted by the horrors of the 20th century and joining the group of modernized Confucian societies and that for example Taiwan could serve as a rough model of what PRC society might look like in 20-30 years, but I do know rather little here.
When it comes to Neo-Confucianism westerners were first noted on there being some "true" confucianism and "Neo-confucianism" by theJesuits, who disliked the second and argued that the pure confucianism was purly irreligious and could be reconciled with Christianity just as some ancient philosophical traditions (Mostly Plato, Aristoteles and the Stoics) were reconciled and integrated.
To me it does apear that every EA society went trough a period of Buddhism assendency, in which Buddhism was promoted by the state as a state religion, we see this starting even beforethe Sui in China and centuries later in the other EA societies when Mahayana Buddhism did reach them. Sooner or later though Buddhism became so dominant in society that it started interfering with its material well being. Buddhist temples became owners of massive amounts of land and people and the life denying teachings of Buddhism disrupted the earthly order. And so everywhere the rulers would crach down on Buddhism, this did happen under the late Tang in China, the Lê dynasty in Vietnam, the 16th century Josean Dynasty in Korea and the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan. In all these cases the rulers turned to Neo-Confucianism as a counterpoint to Buddhism, it almost seems to me that they all needed it to weaken Buddhism and integrate it into the EAsociety, instead ofbeing swallowed by it and risking becoming something like Tibet (a society whous population shrunk massivly after the adoption of Buddhism). There are all speculations on my side though.
I think the blame Confucianism got was after China's performance in what was termed "the Century of Humiliation" both from outside observers and the natives. The west blamed a stubborn and uncooperative China set in its ways on Confucian orthodoxy (although what they identified as China's old traditions might as well as include Manchu fear of republicanism, reactionary xenophobia etc.) Compared to the likes of Japan they pointed to these cultural factors as what held China back.
Simultaneously the communists labeled much of what didn't work and what held China back to Confucianism as well. Attributing it as the root of misogyny and traditionalism to it. Again, in my opinion they are dead wrong too. They might be rebelling against the orthodoxy of the neo-Confucians, but Confucius back in his time during the Spring and Autumn era was both a reformer and a person who preached social harmony, of ironically "community" and an legitimate state- he might looked to old paragons for inspiration but that hardly make him as much of the problems the communists made him out to be. I happened to think Confucianism- if anything helped the commies in ways they didn't even expect. The fact that Confucius was a secularist I think helped them loads. Also his stress for social harmony probably helped many of China's dynasties across the milleniums, including the current regime.
Personally I found aspect of the philosophy...pleasing. I really appreciated its secular aspects and also what it fostered in terms of both individual accountability and, when extrapolated, societal harmony. But most of all I found the emphasis for meritocratic bureaucrats and enlightened monarchy very avant garde. It is my belief that if most of the ancient Chinese did not see themselves internally through this outlook (to have their mind be folded through this cultural filter) that Chinese civilization would not be the Chinese civilization we know today. And the insanely populous Chinese state would be much less manageable throughout the millennia.
Btw, if you ever wish to talk to me in depth about anything- feel free to PM My page on Facebook, I regularly chat with anyone interested to talk.
After long period of introspection if I could describe the behavior of the Chinese people, I would describe them similar to a patient animal, maybe one that spends a lot of times tunneling or carrying a large load. The Anglosphere media may endless describe the Chinese as a bunch of inordinately oppressive breed, laced with outrageous inhumanities and defiantly bullheaded in ignorance to the enlightened norms of the west. Of hustler businessmen and a history twined by tyrants, an oroboros marked first by the book burner of Qin Shihuang and bookended by Chairman Mao. I must say, if someone speaking to me truly believes in that, he should not presume to know my kind at all.
In truth the Chinese are an eternally practical people that only seek to adopt what works at their discretion and continue in way that suits their own norms. So as to say: in characteristic Chinese manner, the legitimacy of everything still has to be proven before people can see themselves throw their weight into. This is the attitude they have both internally and externally: a bunch of internal tallies. Can the current regime guarantee this and that, check, is the west the undisputed masters of STEM, check, is America best at making entertainment movies, check, is American-styled tech dominance essential in the information age, check, does America has one of the best template for economical and global dominance, check. When you combine this awareness and appreciation with the grim determination to lower your head and bury yourself in work then you are almost guarenteed to have meaningful changes every few decades. It is no surprise that for many EA immigrants that when they touched down at a new country with nothing and no understanding of the native language the parent generation would bury themselves in work and keeping their head down in submitting to the host country's laws until they saved all of their money for their kids to got to college and truly make something of the family through achievements in combination with a pool of nesting money. I believe there is great benefit in this preference for caution, stability and foresight, buttressed by long aim to emulate things that worked. This is not only true for Mainlanders but the same goes for the Taiwanese, Koreans, and Singaporeans, and now the Vietnamese.
Remember that Japan was repeatedly laughed at by the western powers (despite their light speed adaptation of western institutions) their race to close the technological gap through imitation is also met with the same derision as China now. Their imperial navy is very much emulated from the template of the Royal Navy and British ship designs, that is- until when they needed to walk down the path alone and showed the world they can make remarkable headway with indigenous inventions such as the Hōshō, Kongo, and the Mitsubishi Zero. Even after Japan was defeated their businesses were accused with the same hate-filled labels like the cheap "J*p Crap" but they again proved they were able to overcome such labels with the well-made but very affordable Toyotas.
Because the self image of a people might change, the ethos of the ruling class or prevailing values might change. But what is constant is the need for proper management, there might be 1000 interpretation of 1000 different gods, but Confucianism is simply interested in society in harmony and government manage responsibly. As such, it is much more relatable, earthly, and practical without venturing into the purview of divinity.
But I wouldn't say it's that similar to Catholicism. It's traditional sure, it's conservative sure, it's communal and about ancestors fine. But Catholicism in medieval Europe has a lot of temporal power. The pope can make or break Kings and excommunicate rulers + their kingdoms to make them outlaws, they could call on the whole of Christendom on Crusades and also as a very centralized temporal governmental body. These are things that Confucianism just plainly did not have. Sure there are hereditery dukes that guarded the mansions and estates of Confucius but nothing quite like the Catholic's power's very hands- on control in Europe.