Confucian Perspective Research Articles

Exploring Chinese Tourists’ Well-Being Through a Confucian Lens: A Multi-Focal Model

ABSTRACT Despite exponential growth in research interest in the psychological benefits derived from travel experiences, existing conceptualizations of well-being in tourism predominantly adopt Western perspectives. This conceptual paper proposes a multifocal model for understanding tourist well-being through a Confucian lens. By comparing the five cardinal Confucian virtues with Aristotelian well-being perspectives, this multidimensional framework integrates traditional and modern well-being insights, depicting eleven dimensions of Chinese tourists’ psychological well-being. This manuscript contributes a multi-focal model of Chinese tourist well-being, which extends the traditional one-dimensional Confucian perspectives on well-being toward a two-dimensional framework which includes eudaimonic and hedonic aspects. Future studies should conduct empirical work designed to clarify conceptual and terminological ambiguity and advance discourse on the integration of Eastern perspectives into the study of tourist well-being.

Holistic Education from the Perspective of Confucianism

Holistic Education from the Perspective of Confucianism

Principlism as Global Bioethics: A Critical Appraisal from a Confucian Perspective

Principlism as Global Bioethics: A Critical Appraisal from a Confucian Perspective

The social contract and education: Confucian viewpoints

This article explicates a Confucian perspective of the social contract and its relation with education through the philosophical thought of Xunzi. It is argued that Xunzi shares the early European social contract theorists’ presuppositions that human beings are naturally motivated by selfish desires, and therefore require a collective agreement to avoid interpersonal strife and chaos. However, Xunzi’s social compact does not originate from the people, and is instead conceived and promoted by exemplary sage kings, who need the consent from the masses to maintain legitimacy and power. Xunzi’s aim of education is to reform and transform everyone’s bad nature through li (normative behaviour). The two major educational implications are the primacy of moral inculcation and habituation for students, and role-modelling by school leaders and teachers. Both implications are illustrated using the pedagogical approach of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), which calls for a whole-school approach to support and sustain the social contract.

An ethical foundation of global competence and its educational implications

ABSTRACT This paper proposes an ethical foundation of global competence and highlights its educational implications by critiquing the conception promoted by the Organisation for Economic and Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is contended that OECD’s formulation of global competence presupposes neo-liberal ideas and pays insufficient attention to ethical concerns, especially those originating from the Global South. Drawing upon Confucian thought, it is argued that Confucius predicates global competence upon an ethical way of being that revolves around who we are and how we are connected to others in the world. The normative basis of global competence are ren (humanity) and shu (empathy) that advance the collective good of all human beings. As for educational implications, Confucian perspectives foreground the dispositional and moral aspects of global competence, as well as the importance of social justice education. Such a construct guides and motivates globally competent individuals to balance critical thinking and empathic concern.

The Individual and the Collective: From the Confucian Perspective

Human existence as an autonomous individual or an interdependent member of a community is not an exclusive choice [...]

How Can Man Become Virtuous from The Confucian Perspective

How Can Man Become Virtuous from The Confucian Perspective

Balancing Profit and Morality: Confucian Insights into Financial Management and Corporate Governance

This study explores the integration of Confucian principles in modern financial management and corporate governance, offering a nuanced perspective on how ancient philosophical wisdom can inform contemporary business practices. By analyzing seminal Confucian texts and reviewing current literature, this research illuminates the alignment between Confucian ethics and ethical business conduct, emphasizing a balance between financial success and societal welfare. The findings reveal that Confucianism, with its core values of Ren (compassion), Yi (righteousness), and Li (propriety), advocates for a holistic approach to business. This approach prioritizes long-term societal benefits and ethical decision-making over immediate financial gains. The study contrasts and compares Confucian perspectives with modern financial theories, highlighting the relevance and applicability of Confucian ethics in today's business world. In financial management, Confucian principles encourage prudent investment strategies and respectful stakeholder relationships, aligning with aspects of portfolio theory and wealth maximization but with an added ethical dimension. In corporate governance, Confucianism promotes leadership based on moral integrity, advocating for a governance model that values trust, mutual respect, and social responsibility. This research contributes to the understanding of how traditional philosophical systems like Confucianism can complement and enrich modern business practices.

Confucian Family Ideal and Same-Sex Marriage: A Feminist Confucian Perspective

AbstractThis article engages the views of PRC Confucian scholars who responded to the United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's citing of Confucius in his majority opinion on same-sex marriage in 2015. It questions their separation of tolerance for homosexuality from legalization of same-sex marriage and argue that tolerance is not enough. The arguments in the mainland Confucian discourse about same-sex marriage highlights the historical and persistent entanglement of Confucianism with patriarchy. Instead of reviving traditional patriarchal society, further entrenching and increasing gender inequality, contemporary Confucianism could shape its own unique modern society that aspires to (and hopefully one day achieving) gender equality together with sexual inclusivity by deconstructing the patriarchal Confucian family and reconstructing a different Confucian family ideal. Accepting same-sex marriage would lend weight to the latter, and there are Confucian reasons for legalizing same-sex marriage and recognizing its ethical value.

고려시대 토광묘의 장송의례 시설과 배경

This study aimed to examine the changing process of funeral rituals around pit tombs from the perspective of Confucianism as the ruling ideology of Goryeo in the Yanggwang Province.
 Type I of tombs with facilities along the boundary used a wooden coffin(i) to bury the deceased, given the tombs of government officials and the prohibited cases of tomb repair. They held an exorcism ritual(B) to promote the well-being and protection of the deceased or a burial ritual(A) to bury artifacts around the main burial part. The social classes with an official rank or economic power placed importance on a funeral ritual based on Confucian ideology. Type II of tombs with facilities along no boundary recorded a lower occupancy rate of four-object outer coffins(a), which protected the bodies of the deceased in a simple pit(ii) compared with a wooden-coffin tomb(i), than Type I of tombs with facilities along the boundary. These findings confirm that the social class using a simple pit(ii) in tombs with facilities along no boundary(II) had a tendency to place importance on courtesy such as the funeral ritual based on Confucian ideology.
 The study then figured out the attributes related to the funeral rituals, classified them into three stages, and examined the spreading and changing process of a funeral ritual based on Confucian ideology. Stage 1 fell in a period between the early part of the tenth century and the early part of the 12th century. Stage containing shells for the Bangseup of the main burial part. Uirye confirmed the presence of the Chongin ritual(Sauhyeol+Yogaeng) performed by Chongins. Yegi confirmed the usage of spoons and chopsticks in the Seolchi process and that of scissors used before dressing a corpse for burial like others of the three Confucian courtesy books. Jujagarye confirmed the Sauhyeol of Bangsangsi Narye, the installation of Pyeonbang, and the usage of four-object outer coffins(a) to protect the body. Based on these findings, it is estimated that the ideological background of the funeral ritual around pit tombs in Goryeo came from the three major Confucian courtesy books and Jujagarye.

COVID-19防控中醫療衛生人員的責任衝突——儒家倫理的視角

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.
 自2019年COVID-19疫情爆發以來，醫療衛生人員承擔 了繁重的疫情防控工作。在這些工作中，他們承擔了更多的責 任，有些責任是相互衝突的，如照護患者的責任與照顧家庭的 責任。本文根據對部分中國醫療衛生人員的訪談，結合國內外 發表的相關文獻，對疫情防控中醫護人員面臨的責任衝突進行 梳理，並從儒家倫理的視角進行評析。
 During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers faced many challenges and were loaded with heavy psychological burdens. This paper focuses on a moral dilemma between the duty of healthcare providers and the overall well-being of the providers and their families during the medical crisis of the pandemic in Huhan, China. Based on interviews, the paper takes a Confucian perspective to explicate the duties and supererogatory acts of those who volunteered to help and the balance between the moral duties of loyalty and filial piety.

백제의 군사의례

Military protocols represent the Yeron of Confucianism applied to military aspects. Baekje's military protocols can be examined based on articles in Samguksagi in the aspects of lines, official archery, practice of archery, and animal hunting. Lines are also called Yeolbyeong and Sayeol and the most basic protocol to confirm the supreme command of a king during the time of peace as well as wartime. In Baekje, lines were performed for a king to solidify his royal authority or symbolically show that his royal authority was restored by reinforcing his bond with his subjects and simultaneously verifying his authority in them at hunting events or banquets where his military power was in control.
 Archery is a protocol to examine the virtues of a man of virtue from the Confucian perspective. In Baekje, practice of archery was done in an agricultural off-season and thus seems ceremonial. After each practice of archery, soldiers received different awards according to their scores. Animal hunting was done in an agricultural off-season and even involved common people. A king would give a banquet after a practice of archery and animal hunting. In Baekje, practice of archery and animal hunting were promoted, and military protocols were carried out at these occasions to solidify the royal authority. Individuals of different social classes had different targets in a practice of archery, which was a means of a king to reveal his status.
 In Baekje, animal hunting happened throughout the Hanseong, Woongjin, and Sabi periods and across all the four seasons. Hunting happened as part of military training in an agricultural off-season and was followed by a memorial service. In Baekje, the significance of animal hunting was to do military training throughout the seasons and also confirm the king's authority through a hunting ceremony.

Individual and Unity (Heti): The Generative Structure of Human Relations from the Confucian Perspective

In terms of the comprehension of modern order and values, understanding individuals and their relationship with the community has always been an important perspective. Scholars have noticed that traditional Confucian thought in China contains a profound understanding of individuals and their relationship with the community. In the Confucian perspective, an individual’s significance lies in human relations, with the “family” constituting the foundation and core of these. This study presents the unique structure of the “family” in Confucian ethics and its generative significance. A literature analysis of Confucianism reveals that it places significant importance on the husband–wife relationship. The husband–wife relationship is a unity (heti) in the order of human relations, where spouses enjoy equal status and respect. The union of husband and wife propels the generational progression of the entire human relation system, making the husband–wife relationship a core node in the continuity of human ethical order. In this generative structure woven by human relations, the individuals are always subordinate to the human relationships they are involved in. The primary significance of the individual lies in the roles and corresponding responsibilities assumed within various human relations. Previous discussions on Confucian ethics have failed to clearly unveil the generative structure inherent in the concept of the family. The Confucian understanding of the individual and their relationship with the community can only be accurately grasped by clarifying this aspect.

Clarifying the concept of future-ready learning: a Confucian perspective

ABSTRACT This article critically discusses the concept of future-ready learning by drawing on the educational thought of Confucius as recorded in the Analects. Two main arguments are made in this paper. First, Confucius views future-readiness as the preparedness to broaden dao (Way), which is a vision of human excellence. Secondly, Confucius does not limit future-ready learning to the acquisition of competencies, nor does he adopt a functionalist assumption of learning. Instead, he emphasizes the learning goal of becoming a junzi (exemplary person) who broadens the Way through ren (humanity), yi (appropriateness), xiuji (self-cultivation) and li (normative behaviours). Future-ready learning, it is proposed in this essay, is about the cultivation of character and competence to prepare individuals to adapt to and create new realities. A Confucian perspective challenges the skills and competencies agenda that underpins the prevailing notions of future-ready learning, and brings to the fore the habituation of virtues.

Sustainable Strategic People Management: A Confucian Perspective on Chinese Management

This paper examines the strategic management of people within enterprises as a driver of sustainable growth. As strategic people management (SPM) is founded on the Eastern knowledge workers’ perspective, we integrate SPM with the Confucian perspective to analyze the factors underlying the sustainable success of Chinese management. In so doing, we review the literature on sustainability, SPM, Chinese management, and the integration of Confucian cultural values. We utilize the qualitative case research method to examine 20 successful Chinese enterprises across five sectors. The results of the case analysis reveal three types of sustainable SPM associated with Confucian values: responsible people management, paradoxical people management, and humanistic people management. We propose a conception of sustainable SPM combined with Confucianism to be relevant in the Chinese business context, where a high degree of dynamism can be seen. The findings of this study could be extended through analyses conducted in other contexts with a high level of complexity, such as emerging markets, disruptive technology, unexpected crises, or any aggregated interactions of such contexts.

Confucian trustworthiness and communitarian education

ABSTRACT Through the conceptual lens of ‘education-as-moulding’ and ‘education-as-drawing-out,’ this article expounds the Confucian concept of trustworthiness (xin) and its relation with communitarian education. Informed by the Analects, it is argued that Confucius envisions a community of trustworthy members who are motivated and characterised by interpersonal trust. From a Confucian viewpoint, both approaches – education-as-moulding and education-as-drawing-out – are salient for the development of trustworthiness as a moral virtue in students and relational trust in the school community. The paper also addresses a prominent criticism of communitarian education: the imposition of prescribed values and curriculum on students that suppresses their individual identities, interests and voices. From a Confucian perspective, such an imposition over-emphasises education-as-moulding and neglects education-as-drawing out, making the enforcement ineffective in the cultivation of trustworthiness as a moral virtue. What is recommended instead is the harmonisation of the self and others through both education-as-moulding and education-as-drawing-out.

｢김원전｣의 흥미 요소 고찰

Kimwonjeon is a story of a protagonist, Kim Won, who wins the confrontation with the evil character through his extraordinary ability and the help of a supporting character and ends up in an amicable relationship with the two female characters. This story organically structured the plot by arranging various types of characters rather than simply enumerating the motifs. It implies that the interest factors of tales familiar to the readership are developed into novelistic features. Firstly, the protagonist was embodied by inheriting the narrative tradition of heroic characters. The story structure of a hero's journey whose life undergoes trials at a young age but escapes from the crisis with helpers and achieves something great based on his outstanding abilities. Kim Won's oviparity and conquest were used to enhance his heroism. Secondly, the antagonist in the story was put into a process called characterization to create an adversary of the protagonist. What draws readers' attention is the enormous appearance and power of the monster and the detailedly described underworld while simultaneously arousing curiosity about how Kim Won would defeat such a strong presence. The stunning portrayal of the antagonist is to embody the protagonist's activities against it in a more exciting way. Thirdly, female characters in the story play a role in making the narrative more vivid. The princess contributes to exterminating the monster, devotes herself to Kim Won, and supports her parents-in-law. The princess of the Sea God even leaves her hometown at Kim Won's request and plays a significant role in reviving him. In this way, the two female characters, the princess and the princess of the Sea God, are actively involved in making the story more interesting. By embracing narrative elements into the classic novel, Kimwonjeon established a worldview that readers would be enthusiastic about. The protagonist who descended from the celestial realm defends the ideology of loyalty, filial piety, and fidelity in the process of performing heroic activities in unique spaces such as the underground world and the underwater world, and returning to the earthly world to enjoy wealth and glory. The Confucian perspective was set up so that the protagonist and female characters protect it, naturally pleasing readers' desires.

헌법의 발전과 지식재산권: 유교적 관점에서 한국을 이해하다

본고에서는 한국 내에서 법과 인권보호의 다양한 측면을 형성하거나 방해하는 유교의 역할을 분석하고자 한다. 서구적인 관점에서 보았을 때, 헌법 문화와 민주주의적 이행에서부터 발명품, 저작물, 음악 등의 창작자와 소유자의 권리를 보호하기까지 일련의 법률개정에 이르게 된 다양한 현상을 이해하는 것은 서양 제도와 관행을 배타적으로 연결하지 않고는 여전히 어려운 일이다. 헌법의 발전과 정책, 그리고 지식재산권 보호를 위한 모든 과정은 단순히 채택하는 과정보다는 훨씬 더 복잡하고 내면화되어 있다. 지리학적, 역사적, 철학적 우연은 이러한 과정을 서구의 경험과는 크게 다르게 하였다. 본 논문은 법적 보호의 부재가 한국에서 의미하는 바를 고려하여 한국의 유교 원칙과 지식재산권의 늦은 발전 사이의 상관관계를 다루고자 한다. 동아시아의 창작물에 대한 보호 부족은 의심할 여지 없이 중국과 한국의 지식재산권 개혁에 상당한 장벽을 나타내는 유교에서 비롯되었다. 유교적 원칙에 따르면, 학자의 책을 베끼는 것은 모욕적인 것은 아니다. 오히려 배움과 사회적 지위 향상에 대한 열정이 반영된 것으로 볼 수 있다. 이 쟁점에서 발생할 수 있는 문제는 오프라인 및 온라인의 불법 복제행위이다. 이것은 21세기 초에도 여전히 관련성이 매우 높다. 이에 대하여 소리바다 사건을 분석하고자 한다. 소리바다는 한국의 유명한 P2P 플랫폼이다. 각급 법원은 소리바다에게 저작권법 위반에 대한 책임을 묻고 서비스 제공자의 책임 문제를 다루었다. 이 사건은 여러 차례 소송과 소프트웨어 개정을 거쳐 국내 디지털저작권법을 규정하는 데 도움이 됐기 때문에 중요한 의미가 있는 판례이다. 우리나라의 지식재산권 보호 문제가 민주화 필요성과 그 국가에서의 시위들이 동시에 대두되었다는 점을 고려해본다면, 본고에서는 한국 최초의 특허등록 사례인 ''정인호 선생의 말총모자''에 초점을 맞추고자 한다. 말총모자의 특허는 1세기보다 더 전에 등록되었으며, 그 당시 지식재산이 나라를 간접적으로 어떻게 도왔는지에 대하여 흥미로운 사례이다. 실제로 이 특허등록은 그 당시 국가의 독립운동에 큰 도움이 되었기 때문에 중요한 의미를 가진다.

Exploring work-life balance among professional women in mainland China: A qualitative study.

This article introduces a qualitative study utilizing semi-structured interviews to explore the barriers and resources of professional women to attain work-life balance (WLB) in the context of mainland China. Interviews were conducted with full-time employed women who had received higher education and possessed professional qualifications (N = 20). The findings reveal underlying factors in work and non-work domains which influence the achievement of work-life balance among Chinese professional women. Participants were found to perceive and attain their work-life balance differently according to their personal traits. The findings also highlight social and family support resources for Chinese professional women from the perspective of Confucianism. This study contributes to current knowledge on work and life issues through the lens of professional women's work-life balance perceptions and experiences in mainland China.

儒学视域下蔡襄书学思想考察

During the Song Dynasty in which Cai Xiang lived, Confucian ideology formed a powerful force in both public and private life. His calligraphy thought was also deeply influenced by this ancient philosophy, ethics and educational concept. Taking Confucianism as the starting point, this paper attempts to examine the influence of Confucianism on Cai Xiang's calligraphy thought and calligraphy creation. In the study of Cai Xiang's calligraphy thought, if it is only discussed from the simple aspect of calligraphy, it will inevitably be incomplete. Calligraphy is a unique art gradually conceived and developed in the soil of traditional culture. As a scholar-bureaucrat deeply influenced by Confucianism, Cai Xiang's calligraphy thought must have a profound and intricate relationship with Confucian cultural thought. From the perspective of Confucianism, to examine Cai Xiang's calligraphy thought and to seek the correlation among them can make Cai Xiang's image of a literati calligrapher more three-dimensional and comprehensive.In the thesis, relying on the evaluation of Cai Xiang's calligraphy by contemporaries and later generations, it illustrates Cai Xiang's position in the history of calligraphy and the rationality of his calligraphy thought from the side. Relying on Cai Xiang's own calligraphy theory, we then examine the meaning and value contained in his calligraphy thought. The paper mainly involves several parts: First of all, in the context of the sluggish calligraphy circle in the early Song Dynasty, Cai Xiang's advocacy of "methodology" and "ancient meaning". It makes the development of calligraphy in the early Song Dynasty to undertake the main line of Jin and Tang Dynasties again and return to Daotong. Secondly, while attaching importance to the value of "methods" in calligraphy, Cai Xiang also emphasized the pursuit of "charm" and "spirit" in calligraphy works. Personality spirit and artistic spirit are always complementary and unified in traditional aesthetics. The pursuit of "Charm" and "Spirit" is also a manifestation of the pursuit of the harmonious and unified realm of human and artistic environment. Thirdly, the inheritance and innovation of calligraphy under the thought of "Zhizhonghe". In his calligraphy theory, Cai Xiang showed his traditional Confucian mentality of "Zongyong" aesthetics, and at the same time, he highly praised the ideal realm of the beauty of neutrality in Wei and Jin calligraphy. Cai Xiang's grasp of the common laws of different calligraphic styles is also the embodiment of the Confucian "neutralization" thought in his creative practice. Cai Xiang completes his own personality cultivation in the seemingly contradictory but complete and unified calligraphy thought and creative practice. It is also the "unbiased" style of his calligraphy that established his key position in the calligraphy circle of the mid-Northern Song Dynasty.
 蔡襄所生活的宋朝时期，儒家意识形态在公共和私人生活领域形成一股强大力量，其书学思想也深受这种古代哲学伦理和教化观念观的影响. 本文以儒家思想作为切入点，试图考察儒学对于蔡襄书学思想和书法创作的影响. 在对于蔡襄书学思想的研究中，若仅仅只是从单纯的书法方面去论述，难免会不够完善. 书法是在传统文化的土壤中逐渐孕育和发展出来的独特艺术，而蔡襄作为深受儒家思想影响的士大夫，其书学思想必然与儒家文化思想有着深刻而错综复杂的关系. 而从儒学的视角出发去考察蔡襄的书学思想，并寻求其中的相关性，则能使蔡襄的文人书家形象更加立体而全面的呈现出来. 论文中以时人和后人对蔡襄书法的品评为依托，说明了蔡襄在书法史的地位，以及从侧面佐证了其书学思想的合理性. 以蔡襄本人的书法理论为依托，进而考察其书学思想中所蕴含的意义和价值. 论文中主要涉及了几个部�