For those of us who grew up in the richly varied landscapes of Europe, where sudden unanticipated changes seem to occur around every corner, rapidly morphing into the next surprise, or those of us accustomed to the frenetic pace of life in great cities like New York and Tokyo, flat expanses of tundra, or sleepy townships off the beaten track, are the most dreary of places. They often lack sufficient variety to hold our interest for more than a few moments at a time.
Psychologists accept that in order to grab our attention in any enduring way our minds require some form of symmetry - a level of variety that equates to specific deep-seated expectations of what makes something interesting, or beautiful, or pertinent. If there is too much variety we are overwhelmed. If our expectations fall short - through insufficient variety - we tend to be wearied by what we perceive as monotony - missing tiny details and subtle distinctions that might otherwise recapture our attentiveness.
The same can be said for the scant consideration we pay to other cultures, nations and regimes, especially those we brand 'alien' for no other reason than they differ in some form from our own. Where we experience qualities that are similar or identical to ours, in terms of language, customs, or mannerisms, for example we show abiding interest – analyzing patterns and trends in the greatest detail and comparing insights at a level of granularity aimed at affirming our (usually innate) understanding of the most subtle changes.
In comparison, our fascination with 'foreign' societies is often distant, distorted, and fleeting - unless we travel and are consequently embedded in those cultures. Most of the time we view foreign cultures through the wrong end of a telescope - collapsing details into generalities and minimizing, rather than magnifying, factors to which we should be drawn.
These 'from a distance' assumptions are grounded in what we have been told by others, or seen in the media, rather than anything we have individually experienced. We also take notice of those we know and respect rather than anonymous voices. This explains why those of us living in places like Australia or England have been far more mesmerized by Brexit, along with the bizarre antics of the Trump administration and the shambolic transition to Biden, than we were by Xi Jinping's consolidation of power, marked by the removal of term limits from the constitution, during China’s 19th Annual Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2017.
So it may be a surprise to some, in an age where the Chinese economic juggernaut, in conjunction with its supposed downsides, such as environmental destruction and an unforgiving attitude towards any kind of political activism, tend to hit the headlines, that Confucianism is on the rise again across China. In truth it did not entirely vanish, though it did seem to go into hiding for a while. But its resuscitation could well have consequences that are important to note.
The revival of Confucianism is almost impossible to discern from outside the country. Nevertheless it is a weak signal that a very different kind of temperament is emerging within the context of societal change, even allowing for Xi's elevation within the Party. It is particularly evident in the subtleties of language increasingly favoured by the government, and even in Xi's own ideological analects, labelled Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, now etched into the Party's constitution, as well as in the many rituals promoting a sense of moral social responsibility that can be found in public schools.
When speaking to influential people, including Party officials, public intellectuals and entrepreneurs, it is possible to discern a tacit accord in terms of the pertinence and potential value of Confucian ideals to contemporary Chinese society.
In many respects it seems as though Confucianism is the most enduring aspect of the Sinic cultural mindset - an impulse in Chinese consciousness that simply chose to hold its breath during the past few decades of political disruption and is now re-emerging into the dawn of the new China.
Expressions relating to social unity and familial virtue, for example, are fast gaining in popularity, especially among the young. Meanwhile Confucian principles of peace, tolerance, and harmony are signified in messaging at all levels of society. Naturally, the meaning of terms like 'harmony' in today's context is not as Confucius himself might have intended. Where originally it meant obedience to the Emperor, it now means a society of responsible citizens that avoid dissent and abide by the rules of the Party.
Particularly significant in terms of Confucian ideals revisited is China’s endorsed stance on the climate. While the ill-informed among us still insist China is doing nothing about global warming and that the Chinese leadership cares nothing about environmental pollution, the reality is more complex.
Critics point out that China placed 38.4 gigawatts of new coal-fired power capacity into operation in 2020 - more than three times the amount built anywhere else in the world, and potentially undermining China's espoused short-term climate goals. This runaway expansion of coal-fired power is predominantly driven by electricity companies and local governments seeking to maximize their investment spending, rather than any real demand for additional capacity. Coal notwithstanding, some of the most encouraging thinking about humanity’s paradoxical relationship with nature is coming from China.
Within a Confucian framework, this makes absolute sense. Confucian scholars criticise most economic and political regimes, including market-fuelled democracies, for being ecologically illiterate – unable to deal with the environmental crisis simply because nobody is consciously representing the interests of future generations.
Other clues reinforcing this change in attitude will become evident in due course. Foremost among them is likely to be a more enlightened approach to the economy where growth and development is balanced with environmental and social priorities.
In the future it is quite feasible Chinese leaders will be promoted on their ability to implement environmentally sustainable practices in addition to their financial feats, which are easy to measure yet vulnerable to corruption. Such an ethos would have strong links to the Confucian ideal of harmonious relationships with the environment as one of the prime sources of social well being.
The revival of Confucius makes perfect sense now that the old Marxist rhetoric of the Mao years fails to fit into today's realities. Here is a political tradition that is uniquely Chinese and can reinforce the Party's particular brand of authoritarian rule. Moreover it happens to resonate strongly with ordinary Chinese citizens who are returning to Confucian ideals in search of the spiritual comfort they feel is missing in their lives, and as a counter to the moral crisis, of corruption, counterfeiting and fraud, that concerns many young people.
By revitalizing and reinterpreting Confucian thought, the leadership is making a case that China has its own distinctive political culture with a foundation in its own political and philosophical history. China therefore does not have a need for democracy, or at least not in the way it is practiced in the West. On the contrary, it can has a legitimate doctrinal future based on what it sees as its own philosophical past.
We can expect to see this trend towards pragmatic Confucianism play out in almost all future government policies related to the major challenges facing the country.