Conspicuous morality and hidden religiosity of the Confucian education revival in contemporary China

Abstract

The contemporary revival of Confucian education offers a chance to rethink moral and religious education diversity in China. Moral dynamics are presented as the conspicuous and dominant force driving the expansion of Confucian education. Confucian activists’ moral anxiety about state education and society and desire for the moral upliftment of their offspring motivate them to embrace the Confucian pedagogy of memorization and act to engage their children in the extensive recitation of the classics. However, Confucianism has always held a religious nature, and religious organizations (especially Buddhism and Yiguandao) have played a hidden role in promoting Confucian education. This chapter concludes with the argument that Confucian education manifests itself as an intertwining of conspicuous morality and hidden religiosity in its contemporary revival.