A Confucian comeback in the age of Chinese capitalism

One of the most common images of the Chinese philosopher Confucius, who lived from 551-473 BC. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Barely a generation after China's Communist rulers tossed aside the old ways, the old religions especially, Confucius seems to be making a comeback. In fact, in an odd twist on the country's recent political history, China's leaders are going out of their way to sell Confucius abroad.

Last year, there were 125 China-sponsored Confucian institutes around the globe in locations as diverse as Nairobi and Nebraska. By the end of the decade Beijing hopes to have Confucian centres in at least 500 cities worldwide.

And why not? After the panda, the saintly, 2,500-year-old philosopher is arguably the most benign image of itself China can turn to the world. But this re-branding, if that's what it is, seems also to be having an affect on the home front.

Confucius' popularity is the latest craze in China and has made an unlikely television celebrity out of a Beijing University professor. Her book, a kind of Confucius for Dummies, despite its weighty title, Insights on the Analects of Confucius, has sold some four million copies on the mainland. According to her Chinese publisher, it is even outdoing Harry Potter.

Indeed, Prof. Yu Dan is referred to by many here as the "Female Confucius" because she has been able to bring this ancient philosopher back to life for modern audiences.

Message for our times

What's more, her popularity is spreading. Recently she visited Taipei, the bustling commercial heart of Taiwan, and packed the auditorium with fans who wanted to hear her lectures. The message may have a special resonance in these times of runaway building booms and freshly-minted billionaires.

Taiwanese women at the Tapei Confucian Temple: Relearning the old ways. (Brandy Yanchyk/CBC)

Confucius believed that a person should always examine his or her motives carefully before acting, since all individuals are directly responsible for their own fate. He also taught that true pleasure cannot be found in selfish deeds but only in generosity to friends, in social intercourse and in social hierarchy.

The philosopher's observations developed into a complex social system that dominated Chinese thought for over 2,000 years until the Communist victory in 1949 when it was largely expunged.

During China's Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and '70s, the teachings of the ancient scholar were attacked by many in the Communist party. But today they are undergoing a resurgence and China is using its Confucius Institutes all around the world to teach the Chinese language and promote its culture.

Why is China doing this now? Some see it as part of a public relations exercise to help entice more countries to do business with Beijing.

"China is setting up these centres as a way of showing its presence," observes Umberto Bresciani, a Chinese Literature Specialist living in Taipei. "If they want to open up something, like other countries have, what can they do? They cannot set up a Marxist centre. What does it mean? When they go back to their culture, they think of Confucius."

What to believe?

But Bresciani also believes there is another reason China is trying to spread the word of Confucius, particularly at home. "They are worried about their own country because now people don't believe in socialism. So they have nothing to believe, they have a big problem. So they think maybe we give the traditional beliefs that will help people to be more morally oriented and so have less problems in society."

Bresciani also says "the problem in China now is that people know almost nothing of Confucius. So now there is this new movement to let the children memorize the classics. And it is having a big success."

This absence of a belief system is not unique to Communist China. Parents in Taiwan are also rushing to enrol their children in Confucius classes so they can learn morals and a value system that will help them become better adults.

Jing Ling Lee works at the Taipei Confucius Temple and helps to coordinate classes for all ages to learn about Confucianism. She says recently there has been a huge increase in interest in the philosophy and classes are always full.

"Some students have to wait for up to one year so they can get into the class," she says. "I think there are more and more parents who want their children to learn about Confucius so they can be better behaved."

On the other hand, Daniel Ku from the Taiwanese organization, Confucianism and Academic China, believes it is more than just manners that are drawing people back to Confucian thought.

"Today in China, people have an empty heart," he says. "People are looking for something better. They threw away Confucius and now people want to get it back because the person-to-person relationship is the most important.

"And Confucianism teaches people how to treat your friend, your enemy and the people in your neighborhood. It's a really basic person-to-person relationship book."

Brandy Yanchyk is a Canadian freelance journalist who is normally based in the U.K.