[Todd Rutley]

This poll asks readers to express an opinion on whether Xi Jinping can best be described as Confucianist or Legalist based on a review of 10 examples of evidence under each philosophical category. 

The purpose of the poll is to teach understanding of traditional Chinese philosophies and how they can be used in any political era to understand and evaluate political beliefs.  

To provide a framework for the poll, information supporting each side is presented below.

Evidence Supporting View that Xi Jinping’s Beliefs can best be described as Confucian

1. China has sponsored the creation of hundreds of Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms worldwide to promote Chinese culture.  There are no Legalist Institutes! No Marxist Institutes! No Mao Zedong Institutes either!
2. In 2007, Xi Jinping was put in charge of preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.  The Beijing Olympics made many references to Confucianism but none to Legalism or to Marxism-Leninism. 
3. Chinese media have shown many family pictures of Xi Jinping with his parents. For example, walking with his mother and pushing the wheelchair of his late father.  These show his respect for the Confucian values of family piety.
4. Xi Jinping visited the Confucian Mansion in Qufu on 11/26/2013, where he purchased two books "The Interpretation of Confucius's Family Language" and "The Analects of Confucius".  This shows his devotion to learning and virtuous self-cultivation. 
5. On May 4, 2014, Xi Jinping went to Peking University to respectfully visit Tang Yijie, the president of the Chinese Confucius Institute. Another clear sign of Xi’s moral views.
6. Xi Jinping addressed a meeting of the International Confucian Federation (9/24/2014) where he made many pro-Confucian statements.  
7. According to an analysis by the Party newspaper People Daily, Confucius is the philosopher most quoted by Xi Jinping. By 2015, Xi Jinping had quoted The Analects 11 times, Book of Rites 6 times, Mencius 4 times, and Xunzi 3 times.
8. Xi Jinping is portrayed by many scholars as being Confucian. For example, the legal scholar Jiang Shigong has portrayed the Xi era in glowing Confucian terms.  Daniel A. Bell, who has published works on the “China Model” and Confucianism, concurs with Jiang Shigong in his respect of Xi.
9. Fenzhi Zhang wrote a book called: “Xi Jinping: How to Read Confucius and Other Chinese Classical Thinkers”. He notes: “The most important private activity for Xi Jinping…is reading… particularly works of traditional Chinese culture and the philosophy of Confucius, with its focus on society, self-education, and governance. Having used the knowledge gained from his reading to achieve leadership of China, he encourages everyone around him to love and read good books. Xi believes that reading and learning are not only necessary requirements for good leadership, but for a healthy society generally. Accordingly, he has made reading the classics of Confucius and other thinkers a requirement for Party Leaders.”
10. Jiang Qing (Author) and Daniel A. Bell (Editor) also wrote the book: ”A Confucian Constitutional Order: How China's Ancient Past Can Shape Its Political Future” (Amazon) This scholarly perspective indicates how China may develop into a more benevolent and enlightened state following the inspiration of Confucius and the wise leadership of Xi Jinping.

Evidence Supporting View that Xi Jinping’s Beliefs can best be described as Legalist

1. Xi has led an anti-corruption campaign that has resulted in many cadres being punished, often in “show trials” designed to shame the convicted and promote adherence to Chinese law (examples. CCP Princeling Bo Xilai and security chief Zhou Yongkang).
2. Xi has consolidated his personal power by assuming many leadership positions, actions that reduce the power and upward mobility of other cadres. Xi is General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, President of the PRC, Commander in Chief of PLA, “Core Leader”, and holds many other titles.
3. Xi Jinping succeeded in having term limits eliminated so he can stay in power indefinitely
4. Xi Jinping had the CCP constitution revised to acknowledge his thoughts and contribution to China’s political and economic development.
5. Xi Jinping has published 3 volumes of his speeches and thoughts on The Governance of China amounting to more than 1700 pages. These volumes explain proper thought and proper action on many topics to guide all CCP cadres and Chinese citizens.
6. Since the 2008 Olympics, which many international observers thought would promote political liberalization; national policies have become more repressive and authoritarian in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.  Xi says that his policies have promoted national unity and greater harmony.
7. Xi Jinping commented positively on Xinjiang in 2020 saying “Viewed overall, Xinjiang is enjoying a favorable setting of social stability with the people living in peace and contentment” (NYT, 10/26/2020). The CCP strategy in Xinjiang had been proved “totally correct,”…“it must be held to for the long term.”  A 2019 Times investigation cited internal speeches by Mr. Xi in 2014, when he called for all-out “struggle against terrorism, infiltration and separatism” in Xinjiang using the “organs of dictatorship,” and showing “absolutely no mercy.” 
8. Donald Trump praised Xi Jinping (3/2018) after the CCP eliminated the two-term limit for the presidency, paving the way for Xi to serve indefinitely. “He’s now president for life, president for life. And he’s great,” Trump said at a closed-door fundraiser in Florida.  “And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot someday,” Trump said to cheers and applause from supporters. (Reuters.com)
9. Xi Jinping is promoting the Social Credit System (SCS) that will automate the electronic monitoring and punishment of all citizens based on their monitored behavior and credit score. SCS example:  Jaywalk, get caught on camera, and lose points. Example 2: Fall behind in debt or tax payments, and lose points. Academic Rogier Creemers has called the Social Credit System “perhaps the most prominent manifestation of the Chinese government's intention to reinforce legal, regulatory and policy processes through the application of information technology.”
10. Xi Jinping is promoting an idea he calls The Chinese Dream -- an ideal society that is internally peaceful and “harmonious” because of strict and clear laws, along with severe punishments, that regulate all social behavior.  Since the Communist Party represents the will of the people, only enemies of the Chinese people would ever oppose it. Therefore, all patriots must work together to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Poll: Is Xi Jinping a Legalist or Confucianist?

 

 

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[Todd Rutley]

Chinese government media outlets have produced many videos promoting the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI, One Belt One Road) that target audiences ranging from children, to high school age students, to adults.  These are excellent examples of modern "soft power" or national propaganda. 

1. The Belt and Road is How (hao!).  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0lJc3PMNIg

2. I’d Like to Build the World a Road  version 1.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLm2m9Sw8ZA Note that the woman singer is wearing a Han style dress. The "Hanfu" culture revival is also interesting as it relates to China's Han nationalist movement.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanfu

3.  I’d Like to Build the World a Road  version 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZdF7wi4LA4

4.  Animated One Belt One Road Song.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdPK1v0UxqQ

5.  The Belt and Road, Sing Along 一带一路全球唱 .  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98RNh7rwyf8

6.  Let's Go Belt and Road.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GayBuFLjOik

7.  Mad Men "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" series finale, Coca Cola TV ad.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxtZpFl3pPM

Lyrics to the first two songs are attached below, with the original Coke & Seekers lyrics, in case you want to sing along.

The attached MA Thesis by Julia Voermans discusses these videos

This material may be of interest to teachers of international relations, media/communications or modern China. 

Professor David Shambaugh has spoken at USC many times and you can see him at the link below. One of his Foreign Affairs articles is attached.   

https://china.usc.edu/site-search/shambaugh   

8.  David Shambaugh  Assessing China's Global Image and Soft Power   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc2Cd-rD7fI

 

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[Todd Rutley]

The April 10 seminar is titled:  "China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Action: Economic, Environmental, Social and Political Impact".

I recommend the following videos to better understand the seminar.

1.  The Chinese Dream/One Belt, One Road Initiative.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxHaNbPNeJs.  Presentation by Clayton Dube on July 26, 2017

2. David Lampton On China’s Effort To Create An Intercountry Railway System.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjm8JedfcR4

3. Rivers of Iron: Railroads and Chinese Power in Southeast Asia.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B61rov4Q71A

4. U.S.-China Relations And Global Uncertainty.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgWjtc0kiwU

https://reconnectingasia.csis.org/analysis/historical-atlas/  Historical Atlas:12 Maps Covering 12,000 Years of Silk Road History

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to providing strategic insights and policy solutions to help decisionmakers chart a course toward a better world. 

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[Todd Rutley]

Rulers promote the greater good by impartiality in treatment of all people (“universal love”).  The “universal love” idea can be equated with “the Golden Rule” (Do unto others…).  Aligning personal and common interests will promote both state aims for peace & prosperity and personal freedom (the invisible moral hand).

 

[Todd Rutley]

March 24_2021

Mohists Critical Beliefs on Confucianism

1. Confucianism is conservative and hinders social progress. It favors tradition over innovation, the old over the young, male over female, and family over society. 
2. Confucian emphasis on family loyalty promotes nepotism in government and reduces social harmony as clans pursue self-interest over the common good.
3. Emphasis on learning classics is impractical and wasteful.  It is better to learn practical things like mathematics and engineering to make society prosperous.
4. Mohists thought Confucian rituals such as funerals were wasteful and promoted the opposing ideal of thrift instead.
5. Mohists thought Confucian arguments for the moral benefits of music were wasteful
6. Mohists, who believed in supernaturalism, rejected the Confucian opposition to supernaturalism as atheistic or a rejection in the belief in gods
7. Mohist rationalists rejected the Confucian fatalism or belief in fate to explain failure.

Mohists Critical Beliefs on Daoism

1. Daoism is a subversive philosophy that undermines belief in social order and respect for authority, and therefore should be banned. 
2. Daoism believed that “the Tao or the Way”” was always right although not fully describable.  However, the ideal government was unattainable by rulers because human creations could never be universally true and recognized by all. So following Daoism cannot achieve the ideal outcome because the Tao cannot be reached.
3. The idea that human creations were only temporary reactions to circumstances and that true perfection is unattainable creates conflict between the ruler and the ruled and therefore promotes anarchy and disorder.    
4. The Dao De Jing called for the elimination of competing philosophies which is why it must be opposed by all schools of thought.  While Zhuang Zi advocated tolerance.
5. Daoism does not promote the common good because it is too philosophical, totalitarian, self-righteous and impractical.  Even worse, it advocates doubting or the wisdom of other philosophies.

Mohists Critical Beliefs on Legalism

1. The legalist emphasis on absolute law and harsh punishment causes social resentment and thus imperials the longevity of legalist states.
2. The Legalist focus on the war of ideas against other internal scholars, and offensive wars against other people, both undermine the welfare of both the home state and the states the Legalists attack.
3. Legalism is anti-intellectual and promotes an inflexible governance model that lacks the intellectual flexibility to adapt.
4. Legalism lacks virtuous, benevolent rulers because their ideal rule is based on power alone and ignores the power of ideas. In particular, legalists reject the Mohist belief in the power of discussion and persuasion to solve ethical problems and motivate action.

 

[Todd Rutley]

Questions. What did Wen find? Lose?  Why written then?  Why is fable of enduring interest?

The fisherman, Wen, found a peaceful and prosperous valley paradise where people happily lived in isolation from the chaos of the external political and social realm.  In the valley there “was nothing to be afraid of”.

Like a good Daoist, he did not find paradise through years of diligent self-cultivation or devotion to a master. Instead he followed The Way; he arrived at utopia “just drifting aimlessly in the boat, taking the occasional glug of wine, and thinking about nothing.” 

So Wen arrived at spiritual paradise by freeing himself from the current society, drifting, drinking, not caring.  Mysterious forces (Daoism?) were involved as Wen was pulled to the destination against the current and “didn't notice as the boat was swept upstream - against the current”.  Wen was “thinking about nothing” and “Wen didn't see”. 

Wen arrived in paradise in springtime, a time of innocence and seasonal natural renewal.  This shows the promise of social renewal is possible and desirable. The notion of renewal in turn could be seen as an implicit criticism of the warring world outside paradise as well as its competing would-be rulers.   

The story was written then to say that the period from 220-589 CE, between the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty reunification of the south and the north, was bad and that political turmoil was best avoided.  The fable ended noting that signs of peach blossoms (spring and renewal signs) can be found in unexpected places: “in springtime, peach petals can be seen floating down the river past Wuling. Odd! There are no peach trees in the area.” So the message is to retain hope that renewal (political change for the better) can transpire, expect the unexpected and follow The Way.  The Daoist-themed fable showed that a peaceful paradise could exist for those that drifted and followed the mystery of the Dao, and it was far away from politics and Confucianism (Qin, Han etc.).   

Wen promised villagers that he would not tell others of the paradise, but he revealed the secret after returning to the outside world.  Wen deceived the villagers and, as punishment, he lost the chance of living in that utopia. Wen could never return to the paradise he found and was therefore trapped in the outside world of chaos with only memories of the beautiful valley. 

Had Wen failed a Daoist moral test by revealing the secret valley?  Did this one moral compromise forever deny him the chance of living in peace?

What do you think?  

 

[Todd Rutley]

Presentation #1 (27:09) asked how we can teach about population aging. 

First, it seems that many trends are similar in Asia and the US: later marriage (often associated with greater education & career choice), fewer children, higher divorce rates, and longer life expectancy.

Second, an underlying common cause may be the decrease in patriarchal society. For example, reducing discrimination against females since 1950 in education & careers, marriage and reproduction choices. 

Third, there are many economic & social implications such as maybe less K-12 education demand but more demand for lifelong learning. Another implication is that countries require more immigration to continue to grow when their population growth slows below labor demand. Another implication is that higher education is more important in driving economic productivity and growth when population growth slows. 

In 2020, population fell in Japan, S. Korea and Taiwan, so this is a big phenomenon. 

The population of Japan has fallen annually since 2010 and deaths have exceeded births since 2007!   See attached.

Japan government official data https://dashboard.e-stat.go.jp/en/dataSearch

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[Todd Rutley]

BCE Chinese philosophers lived to 66.5 years on average, median of 71 years (BCE sample Size = 17, Birth/death Source: Wikipedia, see below). Mencius lived the longest @ 83.  For all 49 Chinese philosopers listed, the average lifespan was 63.2 years

I assume that philosophers lived longer than the general population because they were typically more educated, elites, financially better off.  Living longer was also key to communicating their message and developing a following or school of thought. 

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[Todd Rutley]

Tattooing typically has been associated with criminality but it is not always negative. In this example, the tattoo is patriotic. Maybe Yue Fei was an original "Wolf Warrior"?  

https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2018/05/exceptional-mothers-in-ancient-times/

https://service.goodcharacters.com/daily/20170801-most-famous-tattoo.html

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[Todd Rutley]

Despite being an original philosophy pre-dating many others from the Warring States period, Mohism declined in China after the Qin Dynasty.   Many possible explanations are below.

In brief, Mohism opposed many ideas, values and vested interests of the era.  Thus it had more powerful and numerous opponents and enemies than proponents.

1. Mohism is opposed to Confucian family-loyalty relationships.  It says that “universal love” (jian’ai  兼愛 )  – which can be described as the “golden rule” of impartiality and reciprocal treatment between all people - is better than clannish family and socially hierarchical practices advocated by Confucianism.   Being against such an accepted and seemingly natural concept guarantees opposition from Confucianists.  Mohism also could be depicted as “anti-family” because “universal love” would mean that a father should NOT give preferences to his own son and his own family over others.

2. Mohism is opposed to offensive wars because of the impartial reciprocity concept of “universal love”. Mohism supports aiding the defenders under attack.  Advocating against offensive wars, and supporting defenders, guarantees opposition from the Legalists and others that support military expansion/power.

3. Mohism rejects the idea of the Mandate of Heaven (天命,Tiānmìng ) embraced by Emperors starting in the Zhou dynasty.  The rejection of this idea guarantees that Mohism will be opposed by rulers that want to be obeyed and revered by the people who accept their rule based on the heavenly mandate. Mohists put forth the will of Heaven (tianzhi 天志), which is less deterministic and thus not an excuse for bad things that occur like natural disasters.

4. Mo Zi (470-391 BCE) was born in a poor commoner family.  Arising from poverty, outside the elite, is never a source of power and is usually a liability for politicians both then and now.

5. Mo Zi’s family name “Mo” meaning “ink mark” was rare and possibly refers to having being tattooed.  Since tattooing was a punishment given to criminals in the classical era this association would have been negative.  This association could be a mark on his reputation.

6. Mohism advocated that moral and material matters be understood through rational inquiry.  It was opposed to spiritual or divine interpretations.  The Mohist belief in human reason and discourse, even putting it above the views of ancient muses, would be opposed by rulers who relied on traditional beliefs to justify rule.  

7. Mohist philosophy can be interpreted as being “utilitarian” – promoting the view that the ideal social outcome is that which promoted “the greatest good for the greatest number.”  This idea is anathema to the elites with an excess of wealth who view it as a threat to their power.

Mohism contains many of the elements of a successful (ancient) philosophy: it was mostly rational in inquiry and sought to understand how to achieve the greater good through impartial "utilitariam" analysis (see Bentham on utilitarianism). But its superiority in these regards may have been the cause of its demise because it raised questions and led attacks that were opposed by many vested interests.  

Instead of success, Mohism was forgotten.  Philosophies opposite to Mohism were predominant in China from 221 BCE to 1911.  From the Qin dynasty onwards, the combination of moralistic Confucian beliefs with authoritarian Legalist practices became the standard Chinese philosophical tradition.  The passing of Mohism was a loss for China. 

References

https://chinatxt.sitehost.iu.edu/Thought/Mohism.pdf

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mohism/

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/

Justification by Heaven: A Comparative Analysis of Political Legitimacy in Confucianism and Mohism

[Todd Rutley]

The Qin state was the second largest of the 7 warring states, located to the West of other states in the center/heart of East Asia (The rise & power of early China was inland, not coastal, as we learned in week 1).  It successfully united the 7 states using "hard power" (military) supported by legalist principles.  

Qin unification and the ending of the Warring States period was supported by the legalistic belief that only force could create the desired social stability the state required to become and stay strong.  The fact that the 7 states were divided proved the inadequacy of the Confucian model and its assumptions.

The strategy of using military force (hard power) over moral suasion (soft power) reflects the belief that people are too selfish to do "the right thing" and that clear laws serve better to mandate order. 

The legalist belief that that the purpose of rulers should be to "enrich the country, strengthen the military", minimizing and suppressing any other beliefs, contains both the explanation of how the Qin dynasty rose and also why it fell as it lost support amongst the confucianists and other literati.  The fact that the same slogan ("enrich the country, strengthen the military") was adopted in Japan after the 1868 Meiji Restoration, and used to justify Japanese Imperialism and the invasion of China, shows the international influence of this philosphy of power over time. That both the Qin Dynasty and Imperial Japan were relatively shortlived and ended in defeat indicates an internal weakness of rigid authoritarian states. (The Qin Dynasty lasted 15 years and Imperial Japan lasted from 1968-1945 or 77 years)

Legalism as a philosophy of power is reflected by the "realist" school of state behavior in international relations.  The realist school perspective explains both China today under the CCP & Xi Jinping and the USA in 2021.  Both nations have many intellectuals & politicians that believe in their respective "historical exceptionalism" and thus they justify actions based on this concept.  Legalism/Realism can be simplified as "might makes right" or "the end justifies the means" or "power flows from the barrel of a gun".  

References and more reading

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism-intl-relations/

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-legalism/

[Todd Rutley]

Question in Video 1 (5:00) What symbols of Chinese culture do we see in pop culture, and would students recognize them? 

Tattoos with Chinese characters or symbols have become common in recent decades and students are very interested in this art form which has been practiced for 5,000-10,000 years in civilizations around the world. 

Personally, I cannot understand why young Americans want Chinese character tattoos but there is something causing this demand (maybe just a desire to rebel against norms?). Young Chinese are also getting more tattoos according to sources below.  What is causing this global phenomenon? How many East Asian countries have similar beliefs about tattooing?

The China Daily article below notes that tattooing was sometimes applied in ancient times to criminals and so tattoos were and still are today associated with criminality: "In modern China Chinese tattoos have grown somewhat of a stigma as being affiliated with organized crime and the criminal underworld." 

The same sentence would be equally true restated as "In modern JAPAN and S. KOREA tattoos have grown somewhat of a stigma as being affiliated with organized crime and the criminal underworld." 

There are many East Asian similarities in the history of tattoos, the reasons tattoos were applied, and how the tattoo stigma has persisted because of the association with punishment.   

References

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2011-03/15/content_12175139.htm

http://en.chinaculture.org/2014-12/30/content_589505_4.htm

https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-china-tattoos-20190416-story.html

https://sites.wp.odu.edu/bodylore/2018/02/28/inked-and-exiled-a-history-of-tattooing-in-japan/

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[Todd Rutley]

Schools of thought do not develop in a vacuum but in response to other social influences and/or schools of thought.

Social instability or socio-economic changes promote the questioning of social order and prevailing schools of thought. This can lead to dissent, revolts, and even a change in the social order for better or worse.  In contrast, severe social stability enforced under despotic "legalist" rule destroys the creative vitality that can otherwise allow civilizations to advance.

The "Influences and Responses" explanation seems both analytically valid and is way to explain the story of history in a way that people understand (vs. dates & facts memorization).

Influences or causes of change can include: any weaknesses in current state; changes in technology that change farming (e.g., better irrigation or metal introduction) or military capabilities/tactics; or the development of commerce reflecting rising population and economic specialization. 

The "Influences and Responses" explanation seems similar to the Arnold Toynbee idea of civilizational challenge and response (see refs).

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[Todd Rutley]

Culture heroes can communicate myths about the origin of a group, myths that support group legitimacy, promote ethnocentricity

Culture hero myths may display supernatural elements or power which “prove” divine connection

Culture heroes can create traditions and mark the beginning of group culture

Culture heroes can justify state/ruler power

Culture heroes promote intra-ethnic group affinity links.  This promotes power of leaders of these groups

Culture heroes may promote inter-ethnic group affinity conflicts.  This promotes power of leaders, especially during warfare.

Culture hero myths conveyed orally can reach more people than the written word because literacy was very limited.

Culture heroes personify and simplify history – much simpler history than books

Culture heroes may promote group exceptionalism ideas & group supremacy.  The "mandate of heaven" concept is an example. 

[Todd Rutley]

The presentation noted that China is diverting water from the south to the north, which must lead to less water flowing to southern neighbors India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam etc.  Will this worsen relations with Southern neighbors?  The lesson is that water is a natural resource that must be shared… and how it is shared reflects politics.

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