Page 155 - 2022(1) International Confusion Studies

148 M. Li

In order to understand why Confucianism has been identified with national
sentiment there are two points to consider. Firstly, even after a century of
modernization the power of tradition in social and civic life still remains strong.
Secondly, the sense of Confucian ideology and academic orthodoxy had not been
destroyed by modern Confucian academics. This article focuses on the relationship
between Confucianism research and the “Confucianism revival,” and therefore
emphasizes the analysis of the latter.
Throughout its long history, Confucianism’s narrative of “extinction–revival”
is seen as the way in which it constructs its own history. This narrative is crucial for
Confucianism to develop its historical significance and amplify its influence on
everyday life. It may even promote the self-perception of Confucian scholars, in
addition to the preservation of Confucianism’s educational doctrine; within this
repeated “motif,” Confucian orthodoxy unfolds.
The narrative of “extinction–revival” in the history of Confucianism began
in the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.E.–220 C.E.), when the most condensed and
archetypal records can be found in “Confucianism” of Records of the Historian
( 《史记 ⋅ 儒林传》), “Record of Art and Culture” of The History of the Han Dynasty
( 《汉书 ⋅ 艺文志》), and “Confucianism” of The History of the Han Dynasty
( 《汉书 ⋅ 儒林传》).
These documents show that the Han-dynasty scholars’ perception of the
history of Confucian thought before and during the dynasty consisted of two ex-
tinctions and two revivals: one describes the “decline of the Zhou Dynasty
(1046 B.C.E.–256 B.C.E.)” and Confucius’ discussion of rituals and music; the other
details “the burning of books and burying of scholars” (焚书坑儒) during the Qin
Dynasty (221 B.C.E.–207 B.C.E.), and the Han Dynasty’s continued interest in
restoring extinct Confucian teachings. The fact that Confucian teachings
continued into the Han Dynasty is not only proof that the dynasty inherited
the Mandate of Heaven/Tian (天命), but it also indicates a self-positioning of
Confucianism during this period.
This pattern recurs in subsequent narratives of Confucian history, typically
in the Confucian revival movement of the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127) and
in the response to Buddhism and Taoism by Southern Song (1127–1279) neo-
Confucianism.
Despite the rise and fall of ancient dynasties, through the classic orthodox
narrative of “extinction—revival”, Confucianism manifested its intrinsic value.
From the Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912), although dynastic power
could cause temporary damage to the transmission of Confucianism (as it had in
the Qin Dynasty), the destruction of Confucianism—the path that would lead to the
attainment of the Mandate of Heaven—was tantamount to being unable to “attain
the Heavenly Mandate” without which a dynasty could not possibly last long.