“History paves the way to the future, while carrying on traditions takes precedence over innovation. Only by exploring the future with guidance from the historical perspective and drawing upon the nation’s traditional culture can we strive to achieve the mission of the present. Greater exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations can further enrich the colors of various civilizations and heighten people’s enjoyment of cultural life,” President Xi Jinping said in his keynote speech at the International Conference Commemorating the 2,565th Anniversary of Confucius’ Birth and the fifth Congress of the International Confucian Association, which opened on Sept. 24 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Confucius views world as a whole

Xi pointed out that Confucianism, founded by Confucius and developed by generations of philosophers, has profoundly influenced the Chinese civilization and remains an important part of traditional Chinese culture.

Compared with previous seminars, this year’s placed a greater emphasis on research and the study of social reality. As Xi stressed, this seminar, themed “Confucianism: World Peace and Development,” uses a practical topic as its starting point because it displays the humanistic spirit of caring for the future of the world and the destiny of mankind.

More than 200 thesis papers were submitted to the seminar relating Confucianism to such topics as constructing a harmonious society, contemporary economic and social development, ecology, family ethics in modern society, and ethnic minority relations. Jung-Don Seo, chairman of the International Confucian Association, said that the Confucian notions of “benevolence” and “harmony without uniformity” can promote harmonious development throughout the world. Confucian teachings offer guidance to people on how to cultivate the correct values and views on life, he said. These teachings include examinations of the relations between man and himself, man and others, man and the nation as well as an analysis of righteousness and benefit, and a description of the ideal virtue and responsibility of mankind.

Common Confucian tenets include: “One should love one’s family, love the people and love all creatures,” “Love the ones who love others,” “Don’t do to others what you don’t want others do to you,” “Harmony without uniformity”. Mou Zhongjian, professor at Minzu University of China suggested that the worldview proposed by Confucianism is full of wisdom because it is based on benevolence and views the world as a whole, offering a balanced perspective. Combining Western practical reason with the balancing wisdom of Confucianism will help establish a new worldview, thus reducing conflicts and promoting peace.

Scholars also compared the concept of “harmony between mankind and nature” put forward in the pre-Qin Confucian period and its connotation of ecological protection with the Western world. Dean of the Academy of Chinese Learning at Tsinghua University Chen Lai said that modern Western philosophy and culture often dictate that people must establish a moral attitude toward nature on the basis of justice, equality and rights, extending the notion of fairness and equality to nature, while the Confucian tradition advocates viewing man and nature as a whole, which endows people with a moral obligation.

Traditional culture, new meanings

Xi pointed out that some ideas from traditional culture are outdated and may be dismissed as irrelevant because ancient people’s knowledge was limited by the times and social systems, which requires us to subordinate the past to the present, innovating traditional culture so that it keeps pace with the changing times.

Wei Tao, an associate professor in the Department of Marxism at Zhengzhou University, said exploring the relationship between traditional Confucian values and the reconstruction of contemporary values is conducive to the creation of values with Chinese characteristics, which is essential to the continuity of Chinese culture and the steady progress of the nation’s social reform.

Zhang Rongming of Nankai University said given the contemporary domestic and international situation, China should draw lessons from Confucianism to make the country strong and the people rich, through innovating governance and the rule of law, while rebuilding modern moral and civil order to highlight justice.

Chairman of the Australia-China Cultural Association Vivian Fung said Chinese culture and Confucianism, constructed by Confucius, Mencius and generations of philosophers over the past thousands of years, have had a widespread and profound influence on ancient politics, economy, culture, education, social life and customs. Fung said its teachings of benevolence encourage us to love others, and its integrity allows us to foster self-esteem and an independent personality. We should also learn from Confucianism to promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and achieve prosperity of the country and happiness of the people, Fung said.

Impact on human civilization

For thousands of years, Confucianism has not only nourished the survival and development of the Chinese nation but also made significant contributions to world civilization. French thinker Voltaire was an enthusiastic advocate of Confucianism. He even put the Confucian motto “Don’t do to others what you don’t want others do to you” into the first French “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen”. French thinker Diderot and German philosopher Leibniz also acknowledged a debt to Confucianism. 20th Century British philosopher Bertrand Russell believed that Western culture should draw lessons from the worldliness, modesty and moderate spirit of Confucianism.

As former Peruvian President Garcia and former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa said, Confucius and Confucianism not only had a huge impact on Chinese history, they also played a positive role and had a far-reaching impact on the world history and human civilization. Confucianism and Confucian culture can still provide wisdom, inspiration, lessons as well as solutions to many problems facing the contemporary world.

Scholars believe that Confucianism and related research will draw more attention from the world as mankind jointly works toward a better civilization in the 21st century, and it will play a more active role in dialogues among different civilizations, promoting integration among them.

Translated by Yang Xue