Nationalism as Constituted from the Outside In: China and the Revival of Confucian Culture, 1990s–2000s

This paper discusses the redefinition of nationalism with the revival of Confucianism in the 1990s and 2000s. The global reexamination of Confucianism, linked to the economic takeoff in East and Southeast Asia, tied Confucian values and the economic advancements in these Asian countries. This shift tempered the antagonism against Confucianism from the May 4^th Movement, which had previously associated it with stagnation and backwardness in China. The reintroduction of Confucian learning back into China coincided with the growing business relationship between mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore, and the U.S., regions where scholars of neo-Confucian ideas and practices were frequently visiting China and giving lectures on Confucian learning. These external influences helped to build a historical continuity cut short by the May 4^th Movement and the Communist regime, a continuum between Confucian and humanistic values on the one hand, and a revived social hierarchy and loyalty to the state on the other hand. A Confucian revival coincided with China’s deepening modernization and provided a rationale for non-revolutionary style development. China’s nationalism, detached from Chinese traditions in the Communist era, was reconstituted with Confucian values, helping China’s transition from revolutionary political campaigns to a developmental state.