China sees renewed enthusiasm for Confucius

Present-day use

Experts believe Confucian wisdom can be used extensively to address China's modern issues, particularly in governance and morality.

David J. W. Liu, President of Taiwan-based Chinese Confucian Association, said one important inspiration Confucianism offers is its general idea that the ruler should implement benevolence and value probity in running the country while projecting a powerful image of the country in the international arena.

Confucius' emphasis on virtue and self-cultivation of rulers coincides with the CPC's efforts to fight corruption and improve work style, according to Zhang Yiwu, a professor of Chinese language and literature at Peking University.

Since the election of the new leadership, the CPC has launched a series of campaigns to eliminate bureaucracy, formalism and lavish spending of public funds.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC said earlier this month that nearly 20,000 officials had been punished for breaches of a set of anti-bureaucracy rules announced one year ago.

"Confucius had great insight into the integrity of officials. He pointed out that only when the ruler's personal conduct is correct will his subordinates follow him," said Sun Huanzhu, citing The Analects of Confucius. Sun, an official with the food and drug administration in Shandong's Yishui County, described himself as a Confucius fan.

Expectations have also emerged that the ideas of Confucius, who championed harmonious interpersonal relationships, can help cure the moral deficiency accompanying China's three decades of turbo-charged economic growth.

In recent years, a spate of shocking cases, including sexual assaults and violent attacks against children, food and water contamination, and the fading appeal of Good Samaritanism in the country, have prompted calls to reflect on people's spiritual lives.

However, Professor Liu Dongchao from the National School of Administration warned that treating Confucianism as a panacea for moral problems is "naive."

"After all, Confucianism failed to uproot ethical problems in the feudal age, when it played a dominant role," he said.

China faces a bumpy road in revitalizing its traditional culture, Yang Yitang said. "Some classics that served as philosophical primers in ancient times can be headaches for our college Chinese language and literature graduates today."