Cultural Dynamics in China: Today and in 2020

Fenggang Yang is Associate Professor of Sociology at Purdue University. Dr. Yang’s research is primarily on the sociology of religion, focusing on both immigrant religions in the United States and on religious change in China. He received his PhD from the Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.) in 1997. He can be reached at . Note u This essay is a revised version of a paper that was presented at an NBR conference titled “China 2020: Future Scenarios,” Airlie Center, VA, February 15–17, 2007. Cultural Dynamics in China: Today and in 2020 Fenggang Yang asia policy, number 4 (july 2007), 41–52 • http://asiapolicy.nbr.org • executive summary asia policy This essay focuses on three ideological currents presently underpinning the Chinese cultural sphere: Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM), socio-political liberalism, and Confucianism. These three major streams have all made considerable advances over the past twenty years, updating their rhetoric and in some cases reshaping their doctrinal foundations to be more accessible to both the masses and the ruling elite: • Since MLM continues to reap the support of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), largely by providing an ideological basis that legitimizes Communist rule, it is unlikely to be abandoned anytime soon. • Socio-political liberalism, meanwhile, has been pushed forward by the growing intelligentsia, the emergence of non-profit organizations and the spread of Christianity. • The growing popularity of religious Confucianism—evidenced by the restoration of Confucius temples and memorial rituals throughout the country, the widespread of reading Confucian classics among school children and adults, and the proliferation of guoxue or Confucius institutes—provides a counterweight to the first two cultural currents. By 2020 a combination of these ideologies, rather than a single one, will likely prevail. The interaction of these forces will have major implications not only for China’s cultural realm but for the political and economic realms as well, and can be conceived broadly as combining in three main possible ways. possible scenarios • MLM + Confucianism Hybrid u The MLM heritage will continue to provide nationalistic legitimacy for CCP rule, complemented by Confucian values and mores. Individual liberty may increase within boundaries, but progress toward democracy will stall and the growth of Christianity in China will halt. • MLM + Socio-political Liberalism Hybrid u Socio-political liberalism does not challenge CCP rule but rather acts in concert with it, rallying for greater constitutionalism, individual freedom, and rule of law within the existing political framework. Economic growth may continue, and Christians in China may both benefit from and support the cause. • Socio-political Liberalism + Confucianism Hybrid u Rising Confucianism may provide legitimacy for continuous CCP rule on the basis of cultural nationalism, while socio-political liberalism may provide legitimacy on the basis of modern, universal norms and values. The social space for individual freedom is enlarged even though the CCP maintains control. [ 43 ] yang • cultural dynamics in china The many developments and undercurrents in the socio-cultural sphere of China today are too numerous to be summarized in a brief account. Moreover, unlike economic and political changes that have clear signposts— such as China joining the World Trade Organization or holding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress every five years—cultural changes are very capricious. On the one hand, cultural change in China may be a result of political or economic changes. The constant economic growth has boosted national confidence and pride, as manifest in literature, arts, mass media, and scholarship. Political repression may, however, have pushed certain cultural currents beneath the surface; detecting such undercurrents requires careful observation and imagination. On the other hand, China’s rapid economic growth has brought about myriad social problems. The social problems seem to point to the iron grip of the repressive political system. Underlying this political bottleneck of change is ideological bafflement and the societal loss of moral and spiritual values. Thus, some of the cultural changes in turn bear profound implications for further economic growth and political development. If political ideology is the critical element in a culture that dominates political life, religion is then at the core of the culture that shapes everyday life. Ideology and religion provide the broad world-views that undergird various cultural currents. This essay focuses...