NEWS

On this occasion, the State Institute for Culture, the Diplomatic Institute and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China organised a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Confucius (551-479 BC) spent his life as a little known small public servant, but his Analects, a compilation of thoughts and dialogues with students, became the foundation of one of the most influential schools of Asian philosophy. In the course of many centuries, the Emperors of China uphold the values of Confucianism, e.g. altruism, the unity of the state and the respect for elders, as a condition for maintaining the hierarchical structure of society and proper behaviour. On the other hand, the philosopher insisted on the need for loyal service for the good of the nation, and maintained that diligence and good education are the supreme qualities of rulers.

This conservative philosophy proved extremely vulnerable and assailable from the beginning of the 1950’s to the end of the 1970’s. A large number of Confucian temples were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), including the temple in the philosopher’s native town. The family vault and the family estate were also destroyed.

Kong Xiangjin was born in 1951, in the town of Qufu, the native town of Confucius, in the Shandong province. During the turbulent decade of the Cultural Revolution, he was forced to interrupt his secondary education. However, after the policy turn in the eighties when a new generation of Chinese leaders started appreciating the ancient teaching and adopted radical principles of governance, Confucianism underwent a renaissance.

These developments provided Kong Xiangjin with new opportunities: in the beginning of the 1980’s, he took to restoring historical landmarks, temples and tombs. In 1994, the complex of monuments dedicated to Confucius was included in the Unesco World Cultural Heritage List. During the preparation of the application, Kong Xiangjin affirmed his role as carrier of the values of his predecessors.

As researcher at the Confucius Institute, during his frequent travels around the world Kong Xiangjin is often called to compare different cultures, and to interpret the heritage of the philosopher in the light of contemporary events. For example, he believes that the world could address the international financial crisis by turning to the ideas of his predecessor, “Values are universal; thus, in the conditions of a market economy, the concept of order and virtue should carry more weight than the greed of bankers in Wall Street”. Another concept, which is dear to him, is the concept of harmony: it is an idea that is also embraced by the Chinese government in a policy programme. Kong Xiangjin also calls attention to another thought by Confucius, namely that “we can be in harmony, even if we are different”.

Kong Xiangjin believes the revived interest in the heritage of Confucius is due to the concern felt by society and by the government over the loss of moral indicators during the process of implementing market reforms in China. “Today many people focus on material values, and lose sight of permanent values”, he says. Luckily, many Chinese are interested in studying ancient classical works, such as the Analects. However, Kong Xiangjin believes a lot of effort is still needed, because in Japan and in the Republic of Korea, for instance, textbooks refer to Confucius much more than textbooks in the philosopher’s fatherland do. “Culture is the foundation of a country’s prosperity”, he says, “and if China wants to pursue its ambition to become competitive on a world scale, we should look for the solutions in the wisdom of our forefathers”.