China News Service, Seoul, March 21, Title: It is time to create new ethical norms based on Confucianism
——Exclusive interview with Choi Young-jin, honorary professor of Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea
Author Liu Xu Jinlin
Confucianism is not only an important part of Chinese traditional culture, but also deeply affects civilizations in other East Asian regions. On the occasion of the first Wuyi Forum series of events, Choi Young-jin, former dean of the Sungkyunkwan Hanlin Academy in South Korea and honorary professor of Sungkyunkwan University, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" in Seoul to introduce the spread of Confucianism on the Korean Peninsula and discuss Confucianism. How to influence and shape East Asian civilization, and what role it may play in solving global problems.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service reporter: What is the path of the spread of Confucianism on the Korean Peninsula?
Cui Yingchen:
There are different opinions among academic circles as to when Chinese Confucianism was introduced to the Korean Peninsula. In ancient times, China and the Korean Peninsula belonged to the same cultural circle. The people living on the Korean Peninsula at that time were called "Dongyi", and China's culture was advanced culture. Culture will naturally spread from high-level areas to low-level areas, so it is difficult to say exactly at what point a culture was introduced into a certain place. According to "Ji Zi Dong Lai", when the Yin Shang Dynasty collapsed, Ji Zi (one of the "Three Sages of the Late Yin Dynasty") brought the exiled people of the Yin Shang Dynasty to the East and brought China's advanced culture to the Korean Peninsula. However, Whether this is true or not is unknown.
What is certain is that Chinese characters began to be commonly used during the Three Kingdoms period of Korea (about 57 BC to AD 668). Many Chinese characters themselves contain Confucian thoughts, such as the Chinese character "filial piety". Therefore, it can be considered that Confucian concepts naturally took root in the Korean Peninsula, and Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism were gradually introduced to the Korean Peninsula. In 372 AD, Goguryeo formally established Taixue, and Confucianism was officially absorbed at the national level.
Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, South Korea held a "Lantern Festival" lantern parade to celebrate the Buddha's birthday. Photo by Liu Xu
At the end of the Li Dynasty and the beginning of the Xian Dynasty, Zhu Zixue was introduced to the Korean Peninsula and was highly respected by emerging scholars. The Joseon Dynasty established in 1392 was a veritable Confucian country (South Korea generally calls Confucianism Confucianism), and Confucianism became its guiding ideology. At the beginning of the 16th century, Zhu Zixue began to be truly understood by Korean scholars at that time. They studied Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism in depth and creatively developed it to apply it to the Korean society at that time. Compared with Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism, Korean Confucians started from the concept of "nature is reason" and generally called Neo-Confucianism "Xing Neo-Confucianism", which highlighted the subject status of human moral character. The figures printed on the front of the Korean 1,000 won and 5,000 won are respectively Lee Hwang and Lee Er, the Confucian masters of the time, which shows South Korea's respect for Confucianism.
The characters printed on the obverse of the 1,000 won and 5,000 won coins are Yi Hwang and Yi Er, the Confucian masters of the time respectively. Picture source network
China News Service reporter: What impact do you think Confucianism has had on the development of East Asian civilization?
Cui Yingchen:
First of all, Confucianism affects the values of East Asian civilization. Taking South Korea as an example, I think the most important influence of Confucianism on us is the formation of family concepts. Koreans' emphasis on sacrifice is a reflection of this. Every year before the New Year, Koreans will travel long distances back to their hometowns because they have to perform "tea ceremonies" (sacrifice held on the first and fifteenth day of each month in the lunar calendar, festivals, ancestors' birthdays, etc.). In other words, Koreans attach great importance to blood relationships and respect their ancestors.
Secondly, Confucianism also affects the clear sense of hierarchy in Korean society between juniors and seniors, teachers and students, and company superiors and subordinates. Confucianism actually forms social ethics based on family ethics, so these hierarchical orders are also formed based on family ethics. These examples all show that Confucian values are still operating in today's Korean society.
The Seogwipo Tea Culture Exchange Group of South Korea performed a Korean-style "family tea" tea ceremony in Hangzhou. Photo by Li Zhong
Thirdly, Confucianism can promote economic development. It is generally believed that Confucianism is humanistic, while the West is scientific. Functionally speaking, Confucianism does not seem to be helpful in the acceptance of science. But we (East Asian countries) can make better use of Western technology and create the "East Asian Miracle". What exactly is this for? Western scholars who were particularly surprised by this found that there are elements in Confucianism that can accept and develop capitalism. This is the so-called "Confucian capitalism." Confucian capitalism believes that traditional virtues such as family communitarianism and emphasis on integrity and ethics advocated by Confucian culture have played an important role in promoting South Korea's economic development.
Myeongdong Pedestrian Street, Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Zheng Shaochun
In addition, Confucianism can train logical thinking. I think that the ability of East Asia to create these scientific and technological achievements also depends on the shaping of logic and intelligence by Confucianism. Confucianism attaches great importance to education, which helps the brain develop intelligence. In addition to attaching great importance to education, Confucianism, represented by "Xing Neo-Confucianism", also trains people's thinking. Neo-Confucianism emphasizes starting from the basics, step by step, in depth, and logically (thinking). Especially in Korean Neo-Confucianism, debates on a single topic could last hundreds of years. At first glance, this kind of debate based on nihilistic questions is absurd and nihilistic, but on the other hand, it is very logical. Therefore, I believe that Confucian thinking training is the basis for understanding Western scientific theories. I also expressed this view in China 20 years ago, and it was agreed by many people. I think this also applies to China and Japan.
Dozens of college student dancers from Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea participated in an event to commemorate the birthday of Confucius held in front of the Dacheng Hall of the Confucius Temple in Qufu City, Shandong Province, the hometown of Confucius, and performed carefully rehearsed music and dance in memory of Confucius. Photo by Li Zhoufang
Finally, Confucianism also influenced political governance concepts in East Asia. There is a proverb from the Confucian school, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it." Therefore, there is a rather strict political power restriction mechanism in Confucian theory, which is the so-called "mandate of destiny" political thought. These all reflect the role of Confucianism in the process of national governance.
China News Service reporter: With the development of modern society and the acceleration of globalization, many global problems have emerged. What role can Confucianism play in helping mankind cope with crises and solve problems?
Cui Yingchen:
As a lifelong university professor of philosophy, I can only express some academic opinions on this issue. In today's era of globalization, while we accept a lot of Western culture, we still retain traditional customs and ways of thinking, and regard them as valuable cultural wealth. So I think we need to integrate all of this to guide the direction of human life in the future.
There is a word in Confucianism called "symbiosis". Chinese philosopher Xiong Shili also once said a word called "opposites and mutual complements", that is, opposite and different parts can complement each other. Therefore, I believe that compared with Western norms, Confucianism is more inclusive and more dualistic. It is time to use Confucianism as the theoretical basis to create new ethics and norms for mankind.
The South Korean flag is raised at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games. Photo by Liu Xu
China News Service reporter: In an increasingly Westernized Korean society, what challenges does the development of Confucianism face?
Choi Young-jin:
Currently, young people in South Korea are paying less and less attention to Confucianism. Although some ideas and habits derived from Confucianism still exist. For example, my daughter always says that she should be filial to me, but they will not particularly realize that this comes from Confucianism.
Korean society's neglect of Chinese character education is also a major challenge to the development of Confucianism. In recent years, as the teaching of Chinese characters has become an elective course in Korean schools, more and more young people do not know Chinese characters, making it more difficult to access Confucian texts such as the Analects, and students do not want to study history written in Chinese characters. literature. It has become easier for them to access Western philosophy in English literature, so I am very worried that there will be fewer and fewer students specializing in Eastern philosophy such as the Analects and Mencius in the future.
40 young people from Pocheon City, South Korea and Huaibei City, Anhui Province, China carried out international cultural exchange activities between China and South Korea. Photo by Kaneki
China News Service reporter: What are your expectations for this Wuyi Forum? What topics will you have in-depth exchanges with other experts and scholars at home and abroad at the forum?
Cui Yingchen:
This forum was held in Wuyi Mountain. Wuyi Mountain can be said to be one of the birthplaces and bases of Zhu Xi’s studies. As a Confucian researcher, I have been to Wuyi Mountain many times. I learned that this forum was to create a platform for Confucian professionals from China, Japan, and Korea in East Asia to come together to study and discuss the development of East Asian Confucianism, and I was very much looking forward to it. In fact, to understand Korean Confucianism, one must first understand Chinese Confucianism. In addition, we also need to understand Japan, because only by understanding, comparing with the situation in other places, and discussing the similarities and differences of Confucianism in Korea, China, and Japan can we better understand the characteristics of Korean Confucianism.
I very much look forward to this forum becoming a place for East Asian Confucian scholars to conduct joint research and discussion. I also recently had an idea to create Zhu Xiology in the 21st century. Because we are now mainly studying the past Confucian experience that has existed for nearly a thousand years (based on Zhu Xi's life). Although it is important to study and organize past Confucian experience, we need to unearth some new ideas from existing perspectives. Therefore, I hope that Korean, Chinese and Japanese scholars can come together in the future to create a New Confucianism for East Asia in the 21st century. (over)
Interviewee profile:
Choi Young-jin, Ph.D., is an honorary professor at Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea. He once served as the dean of the Sungkyunkwan Imperial Academy in South Korea and the dean of the Confucian School of Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea. His main research areas include the history of Korean Confucian thought, Korean sex theory, and comparative studies of East Asian Confucian thought. He has published dozens of books, and his representative works include "The Essence and Presentity of Confucian Thought", "The Development of the History of Confucian Thought in the Joseon Dynasty", "Research on Korean Confucian Thought", etc.