[Opinion] Confucius Returns

The status of Confucius in China fluctuated accordingly to the will of the ruling power. During the New Cultural Movement of 1919, Confucius is slandered as a thief worse than Dao. Who is Dao? He is a criminal that Confucius used to mention as the symbol of evil. Nevertheless, the so-called reformist groups harshly criticized the old Chinese order created by Confucius as blocking the development of democracy and science in China. But in the 1930s the Guomindang government restored and respected Confucius as a symbol of national unity and unification.

The Cultural Revolution once again demoted Confucius and tore him apart. He was attacked for being an obstacle to Mao Zedong’s philosophy and for representing feudalism and capitalism. While destroying the statue of Confucius the red guards pulled out his eyes and bore holes in the abdomen. The red guards started the Pi Lin Pi Kong campaign, which sought to completely trample Confucius and “traitor” Lin Biao.

The current Hu Jintao government has recently restored Confucius. With the discontent of the poor increasing due to the widening income gap, they are seeking to find a remedy in Confucianism.

The teachings of Confucius that emphasize ren, or perfect virtue, and harmony are worth using. Confucius lost his father when he was three, worked as a warehouse keeper, and as a manager that raised the cattle of the state. His life had ups and downs, from losing his job, suffering from hunger, and almost losing his life to violence. I wonder whether using Confucius to soothe the dissatisfaction of the poor will be effective as the Hu Jintao administration wishes.

If Confucius were alive, what would he think looking at all the political circus about him that brought him endless murders and revivals, demotion and promotion? Would he smile and shake his head saying, “If it is not civility do not look, listen, talk or act upon it.” Or would he say to renounce speculation, assurance, stubbornness, and selfishness just as he had taught and lived. If he were to say only one thing, it would probably be, “Treat others as you would have them treat you.”

Kim Chung-sik, Editorial Writer, skim@donga.com