Confucianism and Soft Power of China

Journal of Social Research & Policy, Volume: 9, Issue: 1, pp. 81-92

Date: July 2018

ISSN: 2067-2640 (print), 2068-9861 (electronic)

Abstract: China is on a journey to become a global power, using “Chinese Renaissance” as its prime vehicle to emerge from the position of a regional superpower and compete with the United States of America. The desire to open a “Chinese Age” in world history is great; the goal is to become a “leading nation”, “leader” of the world. The cultural revival of Confucianism, and its promotion as the dominant Chinese value system, is one of the more effective measures China has employed to increase its “gravity”, or soft power, in the international arena. Unfortunately, China has not succeeded in elevating these values to universal values, and therefore hasn’t turned Confucian culture into an effective soft power. Moreover, if Confucian culture isn’t naturally developed from its own civil society in the American way, it is not free to exchange, expose, and learn with other cultural and educational products in the world, but is always subjected to imprisonment by the government. If the latter is the case, the dream of Chinese soft power from Confucianism will remain unfinished.

Keywords: Chinese Soft Power; Global Power; Confucianism; Confucian Culture; Universal Value.

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