THE CONFUCIAN PARTY
Daniel A. Bell
The New York Times, May 12, 2009
BEIJING — Twenty years ago, the biggest pro-democracy movement in China’s history was crushed in Tiananmen Square, and high-level political activism outside the confines of the Communist Party has been effectively shut down since then.
But it doesn’t follow that we should be pessimistic about China’s political evolution. Packaging the debate in terms of “democracy” versus “authoritarianism” may crowd out other possibilities that appeal to Chinese political reformers.
I recently attended a conference near Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, hosted by local officials who spoke with pride about their efforts to revive Confucianism under the banner of “Chinese culture.”
It’s easy to forget that the 74-million-strong Chinese Communist Party is a large and diverse organization. Elderly cadres, still influenced by Maoist antipathy to tradition, often condemn any efforts to promote ideologies outside of a rigid Marxist framework. But the younger cadres in their 40s and 50s tend to support such efforts, and time is on their side. Part of the political debate is the effort to revive Confucianism.
Daniel A. Bell
The New York Times, May 12, 2009
BEIJING — Twenty years ago, the biggest pro-democracy movement in China’s history was crushed in Tiananmen Square, and high-level political activism outside the confines of the Communist Party has been effectively shut down since then.
But it doesn’t follow that we should be pessimistic about China’s political evolution. Packaging the debate in terms of “democracy” versus “authoritarianism” may crowd out other possibilities that appeal to Chinese political reformers.
I recently attended a conference near Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, hosted by local officials who spoke with pride about their efforts to revive Confucianism under the banner of “Chinese culture.”
It’s easy to forget that the 74-million-strong Chinese Communist Party is a large and diverse organization. Elderly cadres, still influenced by Maoist antipathy to tradition, often condemn any efforts to promote ideologies outside of a rigid Marxist framework. But the younger cadres in their 40s and 50s tend to support such efforts, and time is on their side. Part of the political debate is the effort to revive Confucianism.
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