The War against Confucius

Not many days ago, I stood atop a concealed battery in Quemoy, the island fortress of the Republic of China, Nationalist China. Quemoy lies within swimming distance of the Chinese mainland, just off Amoy; it is the farthest-flung defense of civilization against the Cultural Revolution. When I write “civilization” with reference to China, I mean the pattern of moral and social order which Confucius gave to the Chinese people, five centuries before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Until the Communists seized power, there subsisted a longer ethical and social continuity in China than anywhere else in the world, and that continuity was founded upon the teachings of Confucius. Nowadays the remnant of that great continuity may be found only in Taiwan and its dependencies, and among some of the overseas Chinese. Yet fanatic ideology is ephemeral, and tradition may reassert itself— if the break in continuity is not greatly prolonged.

In Communist China, the ferocious campaign against the influence of Confucius has been renewed. Chiang Ching, the wife of Mao Tse-tung, has been preaching a crusade against the dead Confucius and (insane conjunction!) the dead Lin Piao, Communist ideologue. Only a few weeks ago, at Chufu, the birthplace of Confucius, tremendous quantities of Confucian classics were burnt publicly. These had been confiscated from private libraries.

RK

About the Author

Russell Kirk

Featured Tags

Not many days ago, I stood atop a concealed battery in Quemoy, the island fortress of the Republic of China, Nationalist China. Quemoy lies within swimming distance of the Chinese mainland, just off Amoy; it is the farthest-flung defense of civilization against the Cultural Revolution. When I write “civilization” with reference to China, I mean the pattern of moral and social order which Confucius gave to the Chinese people, five centuries before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Until the Communists seized power, there subsisted a longer ethical and social continuity in China than anywhere else in the world, and that continuity was founded upon the teachings of Confucius. Nowadays the remnant of that great continuity may be found only in Taiwan and its dependencies, and among some of the overseas Chinese. Yet fanatic ideology is ephemeral, and tradition may reassert itself— if the break in continuity is not greatly prolonged.

In Communist China, the ferocious campaign against the influence of Confucius has been renewed. Chiang Ching, the wife of Mao Tse-tung, has been preaching a crusade against the dead Confucius and (insane conjunction!) the dead Lin Piao, Communist ideologue. Only a few weeks ago, at Chufu, the birthplace of Confucius, tremendous quantities of Confucian classics were burnt publicly. These had been confiscated from private libraries.