Traditional Chinese Philosophy Research Articles

New Urbanization paths in mineral resource abundant regions in China: A three-dimensional cube framework

The proposal of the New Urbanization strategy is not only the result of introspection of extensive urbanization practices in recent decades in China, but also the result of application of the ancient Chinese traditional philosophy “unity of man and nature”, which coincides with modern international idea of sustainable development. Mineral resource abundant regions (MRARs) in China face unique difficulties and challenges in advancing the New Urbanization. It is of great importance to construct a systematic framework of New Urbanization paths for the MRARs in China to effectively guide the New Urbanization there. According to the requirements of strong sustainability, with consideration for the characteristics of MRARs in China, and through systematic summary of the mechanisms of urbanization and regional development discovered by researchers, this paper finds the determining factors for the paths of New Urbanization in MRARs, which are environmental carrying capacity, social and economic foundations, and geographical location conditions. Based on the three determining factors, a three-dimensional cube framework of New Urbanization paths for MRARs is constructed. According to the three-dimensional cube framework, there are two types of path for New Urbanization in MRARs: simple urbanization and intensive urbanization, and each type includes four paths: resource-based, comprehensive, location-based, and central-city urbanization. As a result, there are eight paths for New Urbanization in MRARs in China. These paths differ significantly in their characteristics and advancing points. Under certain conditions, the two types and four urbanization paths are inter-transformable. When formulating advancement policy, it is vital to respect the laws of the nature and the laws of social and economic development, apply cleaner production and circular economy, and adhere to people-oriented principles.

Qigong, Philosophical Reading, and the Cultivation of Attention: Chinese Contemplative Body Practices and Slow Philosophy

ABSTRACT Qigong practices are contemplative body practices and meditation techniques that emerge from Chinese philosophical, medical, and martial traditions. This paper argues that qigong is a kind of embodied philosophical activity that is analogous to the ‘slow philosophy’ called for by Michelle Boulous Walker. Four features of Walker’s slow philosophy are highlighted: (i) careful slowness, (ii) repetition, (iii) openness to the transformation of one’s propositional attitudes and one’s virtues, and (iv) a blurring of boundaries between philosophy and non-philosophy. A particular qigong practice is then examined as a case study: Hunyuan Qigong (Hùnyuán qìgōng 混元氣功), a qigong form taught by the Chen-style taijiquan master Feng Zhiqiang 馮志強 (1928–2012) that involves the practitioner moving her body through multiple series of broadly circular movements. It is argued that qigong practices are examples of philosophical activity analogous to slow philosophical reading, that slow philosophical reading and qigong practice can be mutually illuminating and can help us better understand what doing philosophy is, and that qigong can transform us both by changing our philosophically significant propositional attitudes and by providing means of cultivating virtues related to attention.

Quoting the Classics: An Alternative Reinforcement of Regime Legitimacy in China

After the opening reform of China, the revival of Chinese traditional culture has raised by the CCP. One characteristic of this revival has emerged with the continuous adaption of the Chinese classics in speeches of top leaders of the CCP . In particular, the current president Xi Jinping likes to cite Chinese traditional classics more than his two predecessors. This paper examines this tendency. At the same time, the CCP propaganda department also actively matches up Xi’s citation. They have published official interpretation books, raised Xi’s personal prestige as a Confucian gentleman possessing the good values of Chinese traditional philosophy. These values are aimed at gaining the support of the conservative climate in Chinese society and adapted to be an alternative for the reinforcement of CCP legitimacy. This paper also examines some concrete governmental policies of raising this adaption and observes that Xi and the CCP have begun to use it to connect with current social problems and their solutions in China, such as officials’ morality, social justice and equality, rule by law and nationalism. However, Xi has not matched this perfect commitment in reality.

A Study on Cultural Characteristics of Taoist Clothing

Dress and personal adornment of Taoism, also short for Taoist Clothing. Its refers to the type of clothing with ‘Tao’ as the core concept. Taoist clothing as a kind of religious symbolic clothing, it can be described as a typical carrier of Chinese traditional culture (especially the Han nationality), which contains Chinese traditional religion, philosophy, aesthetics and technology. By studying the history, form and cultural symbols of Taoist clothing has important significance for help us to deeply understand Chinese traditional costume culture and to discover the valuable cultural elements contained in them.

Philosophical Universe of the Mengzi (Books Review: Mengzi: In a New Russian Translation with Classic Commentaries by Zhao Qi and Early Confucian Prose: Analects, Mengzi)

A new Russian translation of Chinese treatise Mengzi from the Confucian philosophical corpus Si shu (Four Books) was long-awaited by sinologists. The author of the book is the famous Russian sinologist I.I. Semenenko, who has already published a series of works on the spiritual culture of China. The book contains a translation of the original text Mengzi , translations of two canonical commentaries by Zhao Qi and Zhu Xi as well as two historical and philosophical essays by I.I. Semenenko on Mengzi and Chinese exegesis. The publication is equipped with bibliography, chronology of Mengzi hermeneutic tradition, indexes of names and terms. The author professionally combines historical and philosophical analytics with knowledge from related disciplines – mythology, philology, history. As a translator, I.I. Semenenko is deeply immersed in the semantics of the text, at the same time, the book’s author pays considerable attention to the extensive commentaries. It is worthy of mention, until the beginning of the 20 th century, the traditional Chinese philosophy developed precisely in the form of commentaries on classical works. Until recently, both in China itself and in foreign sinology, researchers were almost exclusively focused on canonical texts. Only in the second half of the 1980s a new research field emerges – the study of the commentaries on canonical texts, the study of Chinese exegetical tradition. Thus, I.I. Semenenko is one of the few researchers who choose commentaries as the object of his historical and philosophical study.

Why Traditional Chinese Philosophy Still Matters: The Relevance of Ancient Wisdom for the Global Age. Edited by Ming Dong Gu, with an “Afterword” by J. Hillis Miller. (New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. 236. Hardback. ISBN: 9781138562714)

Why Traditional Chinese Philosophy Still Matters: The Relevance of Ancient Wisdom for the Global Age. Edited by Ming Dong Gu, with an “Afterword” by J. Hillis Miller. (New York: Routledge, 2018. Pp. 236. Hardback. ISBN: 9781138562714)

Is the Concept of Animal Welfare Incompatible with Chinese Culture?

Abstract In discussions about nonhuman animal protection in China in recent years, one consistent theme is many people in China believe that animal welfare and the legal protection of animals are ahead of their time, and that animal welfare is a Western concept and practice, incompatible with Chinese culture. I argue that animal welfare is compatible with Chinese culture as seen through elements in Chinese traditional philosophy, imperial laws, and some idiomatic expressions in the Chinese language that are sympathetic toward animals. It is acknowledged that the realities in Chinese society have been very harsh as far as animals are concerned and much needs to be done in Chinese society to live up to some of the ideals espoused in Chinese culture and tradition. The grassroots animal protection efforts in China for the past ten years or so have been contributing positively and gaining traction in the right direction.

On Feng Youlan’s Construction of an Image of Chinese Philosophy in his Chinese-English Translation

ABSTRACT Except Chuang Tzu: A New Selected Translation with an Exposition of the Philosophy of Kuo Hsiang, Feng Youlan’s translations themselves are little known, let alone their influence. As a matter of fact, Feng translated seven works from Chinese into English in total, and his English works also contain a lot of translation elements, for example, “Why China Has No Science – An Interpretation of the History and Consequences of Chinese Philosophy” 中国为何无科学 – – 对于中国哲学之历史及其结果之一解释 (1922) and A Short History of Chinese Philosophy 中国哲学简史 (1948). Based on historical documents and the method of empirical analysis, the paper provides an analysis of how Feng Youlan constructed an image of Chinese philosophy in his Chinese-English translations from five perspectives: (1) he argued for the existence of philosophy in China; (2) he created a positive image of Chinese philosophy in the West; (3) he accurately translated Chinese philosophical terms into English; (4) he interpreted Chinese traditional philosophy from a Chinese scholar’s perspective; (5) he translated Chinese academic works.

Returning to experience – Dewey’s second mission to China

ABSTRACTIn this essay, as a philosophical exercise in exploring some of the underlying assumptions that serve as an interpretive context for classical Chinese philosophy, I will first follow Dewey’s philosophical turn from a ‘knowledge paradigm’ to an ‘experience paradigm’ in which he seeks to overcome the dualism between subject and object. Secondly, I will interpret Dewey’s Darwinian challenge to the notions of Aristotelian ‘species’ (eidos) and ‘teleology’ (telos) and their ‘universality.’ In so doing, Dewey sought to restore time, change, relationality, and particularity to our philosophical agenda, ideas that are all recommended by the cosmology of the first among the Chinese philosophical canons, the Book of Changes (Yijing易经). And finally, I will try to offer an interpretation of traditional Chinese philosophy as a science in a Deweyan sense.

新冠疫情背景下的人類命運共同體探析

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract in English only.The COVID-19 pandemic requires people and political bodies to reflect on the abundant and complicated relationships between human beings, governments, and organizations. We hold that Prof. Sass emphasizes the urgency and necessity of the view that “life is interconnected.” With the continuous progress of globalization, mankind has become an interdependent community with a shared future. However, global cooperation and communication face numerous challenges due to the diversity of cultures, national conditions, and competing interests. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven individuals and political bodies to discuss effective measures and control the disaster together, which demands that a basic consensus be reached on how to manage the tension between individual freedom and interests and public health and well-being. Even more importantly, the pursuit of happiness is the common goal of mankind. Solidarity and mutual aid are required to create a stable, harmonious, healthy, and orderly community. Chinese traditional philosophy can contribute some wisdom and strategies to build similar but not identical bodies and societies. DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 8 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

Extract and Simple Explanation on the Principles of Taiji Studies

Taiji studies are a field of study that has its roots in the philosophical thought of the Yi Jing or Book of changes. It integrates the self-cultivation traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, and centers its academic system mostly on the perspective of the “states view” (jing jie guan). From the standpoint of its philosophical theory, Taiji studies divide the understanding of Dao into three theoretical states: the state of existence (you jie), the state of existence-nonexistence (you wu jie), and the state of nonexistence (wu jie). It also establishes a theoretical structure that mainly includes “three states and nine axioms,” “One Dao and Nine theory sections,” and “Three practice levels and Nine secrets.”Based on traditional Chinese culture and philosophy, Taiji studies are continuously integrating the essence of them for better understanding and raising, and finally set up a rational school of Taiji Da Dao.

The Making of a Civil Code in China: Promises and Perils of a New Civil Law

The Chinese Civil Code was enacted on May 28, 2020 and will become effective on January 1, 2021 as the first civil code in the Communist China. Half a century of codification effort finally resulted in this much anticipated code. It utilized state-of-the-art codification techniques and presents a number of innovative features unique to China. In its concise 1260 articles, the Code is divided in seven books: the general provisions, property, contracts, personality, family law, succession and torts. In a break with civilian traditions, the Chinese Civil Code divides obligations into contracts and torts, and it absorbs law of unjust enrichment into the book on contracts as quasi-contracts. Moreover, a book on law of personality stands on its own which includes an enumerated list of personality rights protected by Chinese law with a focus on privacy and data protection in an effort to keep Chinese civil law up-to-date in order to tackle the legal challenges posed by the advancement of technology. Much progress has been made but there are problems that need to be addressed for this Civil Code to be successful. Some of these come from the tensions between the rise of private law and the dominant state sector, the contradictions among legal transplants, the incompatibility between doctrinal innovations and the existing structure, the clash between distributive justice - the foundation of Chinese moral philosophy and commutative justice - the foundation of Western private law. I will argue that solutions to some persistent problems require structural change in Chinese economy, doctrinal innovation and clarification, and conscientious acceptance of a law that is based upon philosophical ideas that differ from traditional Chinese moral philosophy.

ЧЕЛОВЕК И НЕЧЕЛОВЕЧЕСКИЕ СУЩЕСТВА: ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИЯ

The paper presents an analysis of the ways for interaction between man and non-human beings. Those ways are considered in anthropological and philosophical-ecological methodical approaches. The approaches imply rejecting the anthropocentrism as actual ontological basis of the Western cultural tradition. T. Morton models a coexistence of humans and non-human beings as a network uniting all living creatures. Human and non-human beings are now placed in a single process of coexistence and the human ends to be at the top of the natural hierarchy. One of the options to revise the system of interaction of human and non-human beings is to rely on the non-Western (Chinese) philosophical tradition. The anthropological approach to rethinking the position of human in the world is presented in E. Cohn’s project. He considers the human being in the framework of his interactions with the world of non-human often crucial for survival. Based on the semiotics by C. Pierce, Cohn postulates that all living beings are capable to represent the world around them using certain signs for that. A way to establish interspecies communication is animism and concept of perspectivism, which clarifies it. Animism is about the internal similarity of living beings, with a difference in external characteristics. Perspectivism allows to add that every living creature is able to understand the other by accepting his or her point of view, his or her perspective. Thus, the rejection of the anthropocentrism enables development of equal relations of human and non-human beings. Such equal coexistence may have a positive impact on sustainability.

Модернизация конфуцианства, буддизма и даосизма в Китае (XX–XXI вв.)

This article presents a study of the main trends in the development of traditional Chinese philosophy in the XX–XXI centuries. The transformation of the ideas of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, influenced by Western thought are shown. The reasons for this transformation are indicated. The analysis of the philosophy of “new Confucianism” is given, the stages of its formation are revealed. There is presented the exposition of the teachings of the key representatives of the new Confucianism represented by three generations of followers of the teachings of Confucius, who were influenced by Western philosophers, especially I. Kant, A. Bergson, M. Heidegger. The philosophy of “new Confucianism” is charac­terized as a doctrine that tries to combine the traditional values of the West and the East, material and spiritual. The transformation of the ideas of Buddhism is re­vealed in the context of the analysis of the main provisions of modern Buddhism. The causes of the movement for the renewal of Buddhism are shown. There are given the views of the main ideologists of the renewal Yan Wenhui (1837‒1911), which called for democratizing Buddhist institutions, secularizing Buddhist educa­tion, using the achievements of Western culture, as well as his student Tai Xu (1894‒1947), who put forward the idea of humanistic Buddhism. The content of the idea of Tai Xu about humanistic Buddhism, the essence of which is to improve a person’s life in real reality, and not in future rebirth, as well as its need to serve the interests of society, is presented. The modernization of Taoism is shown in line with the general modernization of traditional Chinese philosophy, which focuses on humanistic values. It is shown that the modern development of the philosophy of Taoism affects all aspects of human life, both physiological and social. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between man and nature, man and society.

Chinese Philosophical Viewpoints on the Natural and Humanistic Conditions of Artistic Achievement in the Italian Renaissance and Its Contemporary Implication

This paper aims at reflecting on our life in contemporary predicament of living in “iron cage” and with “value-fragmentation” proposed from Max Weber through exploiting Chinese philosophical thoughts to synthesize the contribution from different disciplinaries. It intends to explore the issue in the Italian Renaissance but not only limited in that golden age—how could the artistic, cultural achievement in an age be possible? To explore this, issues could easily fall into describing social phenomena by using social scientific terms. When using descriptive language to depict social phenomena, we may find out lots of reasons from a higgledy-piggledy collection of phenomena fragments and social scientists try their best to give reasonable explanations for those phenomena. They have given lots of significant contributions through their research approach. However, in this paper, it aims to discover this issue through interdisciplinary approach to combine the geopolitics, macro-history, and cultural history as well as finally synthesize those perspectives and give more comprehensive picture mapped up by means of Chinese pre-Qin Daoist philosophy and pre-Qin Confucianism. In terms of geopolitics and macro history, this paper firstly attempts to explore how natural environment conditioned and affected economic development and political stability in Renaissance Venice and Florentine. In addition, it discusses whether patronage in Renaissance and Chinese Song Dynasty was merely to show off wealth or not? Furthermore, it introduces pre-Qin Confucianism to enlarge the philosophical aspect on those two questions. In Conclusion, it concludes on how pre-Qin Confucianism maps together with pre-Qin Daoism and how we can benefit from the synthetic perspectives of macro history, geopolitics, social science, and that of traditional Chinese philosophy to be in face of nowadays dilemma.

Role of traditional Chinese philosophies and new product development under circular economy in private manufacturing enterprise performance

The new product development (NPD) process–performance link has been sufficiently studied in academic research. However, recent NPD process is significantly different from the conventional NPD specifically with the inclusion of sustainability considerations under circular economy (CE) context. In theory, NPD with CE considerations (CE-NPD), compared with the conventional NPD, is associated with higher costs and longer development times. This study empirically examines the effect of the CE-NPD process on both time-to-market (TTM) and profit performance in the context of Chinese private enterprises. In addition, the role of traditional Chinese philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism in influencing the CE-NPD process–performance link is also investigated. We find that Confucianism positively moderates the relationship between the CE-NPD process and TTM performance. However, it negatively moderates the CE-NPD-profit link. On the other hand, the moderating effect of Taoism is negative on both the CE-NPD-TTM and CE-NPD-profit links. An interesting finding of this study is that the coexistence of Confucian and Taoist values in NPD workers has the strongest positive impact on the relationship between the CE-NPD process and performance. Our study provides insights on the way in which companies should plan to apply Chinese philosophies during the CE-NPD process to maximise the benefits.

“Enlightenment”: A Thinking Mode in Traditional Chinese Moral Philosophy

“Enlightenment”: A Thinking Mode in Traditional Chinese Moral Philosophy

An Eco-poetic Approach to Architecture Across Boundaries

As highlighted by the post-Cartesian discourse across philosophical schools, Western thought had been struggling for a long time with conceiving interconnectedness. The problematic of Western dualism is most apparent with the so-called mind-body problem, but the issue does not only relate to the separation of body and mind but also the separation of living beings from their environments. Asian philosophy, on the other hand, has had a long history of thinking relations. The paper argues that an architectural philosophy that is open for a dialogue with Asian views would allow for a new approach to conceptualising the interconnectedness of minds, bodies, environments, and cultures. Linking Asian and Western aesthetics with a discourse on ecology, and setting it into dialogue with contemporary theories of architecture, the paper also refers torecent research on embodiment that is engaging from a new point of view with the natural sciences, and that appears to confirm positions of traditional Chinese philosophy. Reconsidering traditional Chinese art and aesthetics, the paper suggests, could initiate a new eco-poetic way of thinking the built environment and its design in favour of a future that is more than smart.

Поиск языка философствования в китайской и европейской традициях

The current cultural tendencies, such as spread of digital communication technologies, increasing involvement of broad layers of the population into social networking, development of the media and their noticeable departure into the more open, democratic, and faster reacting web space, finally, the trends of the modern science development have kicked off crucial linguistic processes. We are witnessing the emergence of an incredible number of language formations, slangs, and jargons. The mixing of languages, the diffusion of professional jargons, national languages, and sub-linguistic formations are also a part of this process. The paper is based on the hypothesis that interpenetration of the concrete and figurative languages allows to better express “unready” meanings. This assumption is tested by comparing the processes of mixing philosophical and literary languages in the ancient Greek and Chinese philosophical traditions. The authors reveal two strategies of contact of the languages of philosophy and literature. They demonstrate how these strategies relate to the approach to the problem of cognizability of the world.

A BODY-MIND-SPIRIT CAREGIVER SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR CHINESE AMERICANS: PROGRAM DESIGN

The aging society presents a growing demand for formal and informal caregivers. Literature review reveals that cultural practices and immigration challenges compound the caregiving burden in Chinese American caregivers. The team designed a culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate training program targeting the overall well-being of Chinese caregivers. The intervention pivots on the Body-Mind-Sprit model, a health model rooted in Chinese traditional philosophies and integrating three components into an inseparable unity. We designed the in-person training to be four 3-hour sessions and incorporated modalities, which include mini lectures, skill training, discussion, exercise videos, homework activities, and a website. We pilot tested the intervention among 11 Chinese caregivers, followed by two focus group discussions and formative evaluation. Participants provided positive feedback in program evaluation survey, while analysis of focus group revealed three major topics: program benefits, barriers to receiving training and applying its content, and suggestions.