Confucian Culture Research Articles

Confucian culture and technological innovation: the long-term impact of informal institutions on regional progress in China

Confucian culture and technological innovation: the long-term impact of informal institutions on regional progress in China

Epistemological Flashpoints in China’s “Person-Making” Education with Reinvoked Cultural Discourses: Lideshuren as an Example

Abstract As an imprint and reinvigoration of Confucian culture, China foregrounds its 21st-century state-run education as to make national(istic) citizens, re-invoking lideshuren (establishing personhood by cultivating moral excellence) as its signature discourse beyond Western frameworks. Drawing upon Foucault’s thinking, this paper untangles China’s effort as being epistemologically vexed in three steps. First, I pick up Foucault’s interpellation on language, discourse, and episteme, evoking a possible language-episteme conflation and/or rupture which is crucial to understanding China’s lideshuren knowledge (re)production and translation within and across cultures. Second, I trace lideshuren to a Confucian prototype to make visible its possible historical-cultural murmurings along a correlative relationality episteme. This historical detour enables me to better problematize, in the third section, contemporary China’s re-mobilizing, trans-forming, and re-interpreting Confucian lideshuren discourses to both the Chinese and Western wor(l)d along a delimiting modern ‘trap of philology’. This historical-present epistemological comparison, albeit reductive, feeds into my analysis of China’s making of universal-national(istic) citizens at the nexus of nationalism and globalism. By focusing on China, this paper provides implications for comparing national educations as making universal individuals in a globalized age.

From starvation to depression: unveiling the link between the great famine and late-life depression

BackgroundThe Great Famine in China from 1959 to 1961 is recognized as one of the most severe social and public health disasters of the 20th century, with profound long-term impacts on the health of survivors, particularly on their mental health. Early-life malnutrition and psychological trauma are considered to contribute to a range of health issues in adulthood, including depression.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore how the experience of the Chinese Great Famine from 1959 to 1961 affects the risk of depressive symptoms among the elderly. Using a mechanism analysis, the study investigates the roles of social support, socioeconomic status, and intergenerational support in this process.MethodsUsing micro-level individual data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS), combined with province-level excess mortality data, this study employs a cohort-based difference-in-differences model to identify the causal effects of the famine experience on depression levels among the elderly.ResultsThe study reveals that experiencing the Great Famine significantly increases the risk of depression among the elderly. This effect is more pronounced among rural residents, those who experienced the famine during adolescence, and in regions less influenced by Confucian culture. The mechanism analysis indicates that diminished social support, lower socioeconomic status, and insufficient intergenerational support are the primary pathways through which the famine experience influences depression levels in the elderly.ConclusionsThe experience of the Great Famine has exerted a long-term and profound impact on the mental health of the elderly in China, particularly in terms of depression. The findings provide new perspectives on understanding the long-term effects of major historical events on health and offer important empirical evidence for the development of mental health intervention policies for the elderly.

Confucian Culture, Climate Risk, and Corporate Environmental Information Disclosure Quality: Evidence from China

Confucian Culture, Climate Risk, and Corporate Environmental Information Disclosure Quality: Evidence from China

Postgraduate Students’ Engagement in Cooperative EFL Writing: An Investment Perspective

The past few decades have foregrounded cooperative learning and its pedagogical implications for students’ academic, psychological, and social gains, particularly, in the Western context. These gains, nonetheless, were sometimes questioned and doubted in the Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) countries such as China. This study adopts Norton’s investment model and seeks to investigate Chinese postgraduate students’ experiences of cooperative writing in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in a local context. The focus is particularly on the mechanism of Chinese students’ engagement/disengagement with cooperative learning and the multiple influences on it. Analysis of the data set, which includes five focus group interviews with postgraduate students from a local university in mid-western China, shows that Chinese students’ group engagement patterns may vary and be closely linked with their current and imagined identities/communities that engagement in cooperative writing could bring to them. Implications are then drawn to better realize the potential of cooperative learning in the identified context and beyond.

A reflection on making ‘Religion’ in China: The Genealogy of Zongjiao through cultural exchange

The term Zongjiao [宗教] originally referring to the teachings of Buddhism and Chinese ancestral worship was not considered the equivalent for the English term ‘religion’ until the late 19th century when Japanese translated religion as shūkyō [宗教]. The later introduction of the concept of Zongjiao into China via Japan triggered a deep exploration of the differences between religion and Jiao among Chinese intellectuals like Liang Qichao, Kang Youwei and Peng Guangyu, representing Chinese scholars’ conceptualisation and reflections of Chinese traditional religious belief, practices and phenomena within the context of Western religious culture. Rather than a simple lexical selection, the translation of ‘religion’ essentially was a process of making the notion of ‘religion’ in China, which had provided valuable insight into the nature of Chinese Confucianism culture and was closely related to the understanding of the state–church relationship in China. With continuous cultural exchanges and integration, reflecting on this translation process will provide a more inclusive perspective on the complexity and diversity of religions and facilitate mutual learning.Contribution: This article briefly reviews the process of accepting Zongjiao [宗教] as the equivalent for the Western term ‘religion’ in China, in order to shed light on how such translation has influenced people’s understanding of religion and the inclusiveness contained in the study of religion.

The Impact of Catholic Culture on the Cultural and Spiritual Lives of Contemporary Vietnamese Students

Catholicism has been practiced in Vietnam for more than four centuries. Over seven and a half million people are members of the Vietnamese Catholic community as of the year 2022. The most notable examples of Catholic culture in Vietnam are these forms. A deeper relationship between Vietnamese spirituality and Catholic culture has been established due to the phenomenon known as "Vietnamese" Catholicism. Beyond the confines of the Christian community, Catholic culture is now pervasive throughout Vietnamese society. Students constitute a significant component of the Vietnamese population, particularly the younger generation. In light of this, the question arises as to how the spirituality of Vietnamese students has been influenced by Catholic culture. In order to investigate the process of Catholic cultural assimilation among Vietnamese people, the writers use empirical analysis to investigate four typical narratives: New Year's Day on January 1, Valentine's Day on February 14, and Christmas Day on December 25. It provides a complete explanation of the cultural shifts in society due to globalization. In addition to being inspired by Confucian culture, Vietnam is open to Western culture, particularly Catholicism. Vietnam has a long and illustrious past and a unique culture.

How are firms motivated to greenly innovate under the pressure of ESG performance? Evidence from Chinese listed firms

The impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance gaps on firm green innovation is examined in this paper by a panel database of A-share Chinese listed companies from 2011 to 2021. Using multiple linear regression and conducting a series of endogeneity tests and robustness checks, our empirical analysis shows that firm ESG performance gaps have significantly positive effect on green innovation. Both ESG performance below historical aspiration and social aspiration levels enhance a firm’s green innovation. Confucian culture negatively moderates the positive relationship between ESG performance gaps and green innovation, suggesting that firms more influenced by Confucian culture exhibit reduced green innovation than those less influenced. Additionally, firm digitalization positively moderates the positive relationship between ESG performance gaps and green innovation, indicating that firms with higher levels of digitalization are better equipped to improve green innovation when facing ESG performance shortfalls. This study extends the existing knowledge of firm ESG performance and motivation of green innovation. The research findings offer practical insights for leveraging the motivation and capabilities of green innovation to attain firm ESG objectives.

Confucian culture, public education expenditure, and economic growth

Confucian culture has been found to have significant effects on economic outcomes, yet current studies seldom delve into its impact on regional economic growth in China and the role of government behavior as a mechanism. From the perspective of government response to public demands for education, this paper examines whether Confucian culture fosters economic growth by driving up public education expenditure. Using panel data at the prefecture-level over 2003–2018 and taking the historical population density of jinshi in the Ming and Qing Dynasties as the proxy of the Confucian culture, the empirical analysis is done mainly through pooled OLS and IV analysis. Results show that Confucian culture has a significant and positive effect on economic growth, which can be partially explained by its positive influence on public education expenditure. The channel still holds after controlling human capital in regression. Further discussion of the clan culture and local governors’ cultural backgrounds suggests that higher public education expenditure results from the local government’s passive response to public demands for education. Thus, local governments are suggested to widen and improve the channels for expressing public demands and increase public education expenditure while balancing public demands and the need to boost economic growth.

Reconsidering gender norms in childcare within Chinese migrant families in Portugal.

Historically, Chinese societies have been characterized by patriarchal structures (Confucianism and filial piety) that assign distinct roles to men and women within the family unit. These norms typically dictate that women take on the primary responsibility for childcare and household duties, while men are expected to be the primary breadwinners. As the authors observe the second generation of Chinese immigrants settling in Portugal, the immigrants grapple with the significant challenge of striving to preserve cultural heritage with the adaptation to Western norms. Therefore, there is a growing recognition of the need to reassess these traditional gender norms. Women in these families are increasingly participating in the workforce, challenging the notion that childcare should be solely to their domain. This study focuses on the experiences of Chinese immigrants, including both married couples and single individuals residing in Portugal. Through qualitative research methods such as interviews (involving 25 participants) and observations, the research aims to gain a nuanced understanding of the attitude and engagement toward childcare, and the ways it differs between men and women in these immigrant families. Participants' responses indicate that men's anticipation of women dedicating more time to childcare is notably influenced by educational attainment and financial circumstances. Conversely, women generally believe that being exempt from labor is not a viable alternative irrespective of their educational qualifications. The traditional distribution of caregiving duties does not consistently apply to Chinese female immigrants. By exploring the influence of traditional Confucian culture on migrants' perspectives and challenges in assuming parental responsibilities, this study highlights gender disparities among Chinese immigrants and propose solutions to address this gender conflict on division.

EFL Teachers’ Emotions Toward Online-Merge-Offline Teaching Mode in University

The Online-Merge-Offline (OMO) teaching mode has emerged as a prominent new approach in language education reform with the expansion of online teaching in China. Due to the emotional complexity involved in educational reforms, this study explores the emotions expressed by Chinese EFL teachers in OMO classes, investigates the situational causes, and examines emotion regulation strategies in English Language Teaching. A questionnaire was distributed to 48 Chinese EFL teachers teaching General English (GE) using OMO mode across three normal universities, followed by semi-structured interviews for deeper insights. After collecting and analyzing data from questionnaires and interviews, the findings revealed a spectrum of emotions were experienced by EFL teachers, with positive emotions prevailing, particularly in GE classes. Love, surprise, and joy were prominent across different settings. Situational triggers encompassed classroom dynamics, institutional factors and social influences; reflecting teachers’ beliefs and identities, students’ learning engagement, behavior and academic achievements, colleagues and administrators’ work support and emotional support, policy makers’ reform mandate, and the Confucian heritage cultures. To regulate positive and negative emotions, Chinese EFL teachers primarily employed appraisal, followed by situation modification and selection. This study underscores the importance of emotional awareness for both students’ learning achievement and teachers’ professional development in ELT. It encourages Chinese EFL teachers to recognize the significance of their emotions in teaching effectiveness and offers insights for educators and administrators into supporting teachers’ emotional well-being and professional growth.

Morality through the lens of Confucian heritage countries: collective self variations and moral worldviews.

The issue of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) samples dominating research has been ongoing for decades, and now the emerging trend is to turn to theoretical perspectives from the Majority World. Adopting Western-centric methods based on reductionism can overlook important details and differences between similar cultures, particularly in East Asian cultures, where the Confucian values of relational harmony take many forms. We discuss a novel theoretical perspective on moral constitutions in Confucian heritage cultures. Our central tenet is that divergent moral concepts and ideals are present in Confucian cultures because each culture emphasizes a specific pillar and the self is situated differently in the social relationships that define the scope of interpersonal moral obligations. We consider three Confucian countries: China, Japan, and South Korea as examples. Despite geographical proximity and conventional categorization in cultural psychology, each Confucian country manifests distinct patterns of the self, moral ideals, and behavior in socio-moral contexts. To understand how and why moral worldviews vary within a region, we need to examine how the self in socio-cultural contexts differs and guides interpersonal norms and behaviors across sociocultural contexts. We conclude this paper by offering methodological recommendations for including indigenous moral concepts outside the WEIRD context.

From ancient philosophy to modern governance: Confucian culture shaping low-carbon corporate transformation in China’s listed companies

Confucianism has been passed down for thousands of years, naturally turning into a research hotspot. Considering the goal of green development, this study examines the role of Confucian culture in low-carbon corporate transformation. This study shows that Confucian culture can effectively promote a low-carbon transformation and the development of companies. The greater the influence of Confucianism on a company, the higher its level of low-carbon transformation. Confucian culture takes effect in three ways: by improving corporate environmental awareness, by promoting social responsibility, and by strengthening corporate governance. Heterogeneity research shows that state-owned and low-capital-intensity companies, low-competition and high-attention industries, non-low-carbon pilot programs, and low-marketization areas all increase the extent of influence. The findings shed light on the influence of Confucians on low-carbon transformation at the firm level and enrich the ideas surrounding Confucian culture and corporate development.

Confucianism And Stock Price Synchronization

This paper empirically examines the effect of Confucian culture on stock price synchronization by selecting data from listed companies from 2008-2021. The results show that Confucian culture can significantly reduce the level of stock price synchronization and does so mainly by suppressing managers' self-interested motives and improving the quality of corporate information. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the inhibitory effect of Confucian culture on stock price synchronization is more pronounced in firms that have not been exposed to foreign cultural shocks and have less analyst attention. The findings provide empirical evidence to support the governance function of Confucian culture and have important practical implications for improving capital market pricing efficiency.

Does Confucian culture affect the efficiency of corporate green investments? Evidence from heavily polluting enterprises

ABSTRACT Against the backdrop of increasingly intensified conflicts between the development of heavily polluting enterprises and the resource environment, Confucian culture, which advocates environmental protection, has gradually penetrated into management decisions and has become an important tool for promoting green investment and transformation of enterprises. This study investigates the impact of Confucian culture on green investment efficiency using the SBM-DEA model and a multidimensional fixed-effects model (time, year, and region) with Chinese heavy polluting enterprises as a sample from 2016 to 2020. The findings of the study indicate that Confucian culture can enhance the efficiency of firms’ green investments. This is achieved by fostering human capital and managerial capabilities. This relationship is more pronounced among firms in regions with fewer environmental regulations and among state-owned enterprises. It is therefore recommended that heavily polluting enterprises, with the support of the government, should give play to the guiding role of Confucian culture and integrate the spirit of Confucianism into their operation and management. The results of this paper verify the effectiveness of Confucian culture, which is very important for accelerating the green development of heavy polluting enterprises and enriching and expanding related research.

Does culture matter in corporate cash holdings?

AbstractThis paper identifies culture as an important factor affecting corporate cash holdings by using China and its national culture, Confucianism, as the setting. We find that firms located in regions with stronger Confucian culture hold persistently higher levels of cash. We employ an instrumental variable to draw causal inference. Confucian culture strengthens the effect of cash flow risk on cash holdings of financially‐constrained firms, suggesting precautionary motives as the underlying mechanism. We find that the culture effect remains intact after controlling for corporate governance heterogeneity, which rules out the agency motives. Lastly, firms' operating performance indicates that high cash holdings is an efficient outcome.

Scalable intimacy: Rethinking intimate sociality and its problem of scale in digital China

With the development of the Internet in China, people have increasingly turned to digital communication and networking tools for personal connections and social relations. From messaging and dating apps to microblogging and live-streaming platforms, mediated forms of sociality constitute a significant part of people’s intimate lives. Scholarly works on modern and contemporary China have shown how practices and politics of intimacy are formulated and contested against the backdrop of the tensions between the residual culture of Confucianism, the socialist ideological regime, and China’s participation in global capitalism. On the contrary, research on global network societies has foregrounded the role of information and media technologies in mediating intimacy with conceptual frameworks such as programmed sociality and networked intimacy. Bridging these two areas of research, this essay attempts to understand how intimate sociality is configured within China’s burgeoning digital economy and culture. It first provides a review of previous works on forms of intimacy and sociality mediated by network technologies ranging from mobile phones to online dating. Using the popularity of live streaming in current-day China as a case study, this essay then introduces the problem of “scale” to consider how intimacy is mediated at scale with Internet-based media technologies and discuss how scalability shapes intimate lives in Chinese society as a shared rationale behind modernization, network technologies, and new forms of economies. This essay proposes the concept of scalable intimacy to move beyond the platform-centered approach and develop a more contextualized framework for understanding intimate sociality in digital China.

Confucian culture and corporate environmental management: The role of innovation, financing constraints and managerial myopia

This paper explores the impact of Confucian culture on the environmental management practices of firms, utilizing data from A-share listed companies in China from 2009 to 2022. The study reveals several significant findings: (1) Firms in regions with a stronger presence of Confucian culture are more likely to adopt environmentally responsible management practices; (2) Confucian culture enhances firms' environmental management through three channels: promoting innovation, easing financing constraints, and reducing managerial myopia, with a particular emphasis on alleviating financing constraints; (3) Regional environmental regulations mitigate the positive influence of Confucian culture on firms' environmental management practices. This study contributes to the literature by elucidating the determinants of corporate environmental management and emphasizing the critical role of cultural factors, particularly in overcoming financial barriers, in corporate decision-making.

Understanding the relationship between competitive climates and reading achievement in East Asia: a situated expectancy-value theory perspective

ABSTRACT Competitive climates have been found to be critical for language learning. However, most of these studies primarily focused on examining the direct association between competitive climates and language performance. Little attention has been given to exploring how competitive climates interplay with motivational beliefs in influencing language learning, especially in the Confucian culture. To address these gaps, this study aimed to investigate how expectancy-value beliefs mediated the relationship between competitive climates and reading achievement in East Asian regions. The study utilized data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, with 41,872 participants from six East Asian regions, including Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Korea, and Mainland China. The results revealed that competitive climates could enhance students’ reading achievement by fostering expectancy and value beliefs, demonstrating the positive influence of competitive climates on reading achievement within East Asian regions. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Cultural norms and tax compliance: Evidence from China

Existing studies suggest that formal institutions can effectively constrain corporate tax evasion and increase tax compliance, but little has been said about the role of informal institutions regarding tax compliance. This study empirically examines the long-term effect of Confucian cultural norms on corporate tax compliance using unique cultural and historical data from China. We find that the intergenerational transmission of the Confucian culture can significantly promote the tax compliance of modern firms, thereby effectively reducing tax evasion. Simultaneously, the compliance effect is more pronounced in informal firms, such as small-scale, non-listed, and local firms. In terms of mechanism analysis, the normative effect of the Confucian culture is a key mechanism for explaining variations in corporate tax compliance behaviors under different cultural norms. Overall, this study fills a gap in the research on how informal institutions regulate the behavior of firms to a certain extent, and at the same time supplements the existing literature on understanding the long-term effects of the Confucian culture.