Among a Hundred Good Virtues, Filial Piety is the First: Contemporary Moral Discourses on Filial Piety in Urban China

The meanings of filial piety, the moral virtue that defines a hierarchical parent-child relationship, have undergone drastic transformations throughout Chinese history. This article investigates the contemporary meaning of filial piety from the perspective of urban Chinese adults who were born under the One-Child Policy. Based on ethnographic interviews, this article argues that filial piety has transformed into a family ethic that is based on egalitarian inter-generational relationships and intimate parent-child bonding. Borrowing Giddens and other scholars' concept of authenticity, this article describes the emergence of a new moral ideal in contemporary urban China that gives emphasis to the expression of the true self and private feelings