The Future of China’s Past: Reflections on the Meaning of China’s Rise by Albert Welter

Over the past two decades, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government has advanced a range of environmental policies under the banner of “Ecological Civilization.” The term first appeared in a report issued after the 2007 National Congress of the Communist Party, but it became even more prevalent under the leadership of current president Xi Jinping. Often described as “environmentalism with Chinese characteristics,” the Ecological Civilization project has been touted by Xi as promoting a “green and low-carbon lifestyle of moderation and frugality.” It is explicitly aimed at offering an alternative to Western green philosophies by combining modern climate science with “Traditional Chinese Ecological Wisdom.” This example illustrates a broader twenty-first-century trend explored by Albert Welter in his new book, The Future of China’s Past.

Throughout most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Welter argues, China was on the defensive against the forces of colonialism. In response, Chinese intellectuals embraced Western values, ideas, and technologies—often at the expense of their own traditions. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, however, it has become evident that the old-world order is changing. In its attempts to reinvent itself as a global power, China is currently in the midst of creating a new model for Chinese civilization, one that embraces many aspects of its past rather than rejecting them. The stated goal of the book is to identify the key traditional ideas and values embraced by the current regime and examine how they are shaping contemporary debates in China over its future (p. 9).

Welter identifies China’s main philosophical and religious traditions— Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism, and Buddhism—as essential components of its current cultural renaissance. Most chapters offer an overview of a single tradition, first introducing its history and role in premodern society, then examining its current resurgence and contribution to reshaping contemporary Chinese identity. Chapters 1 and 5 focus on Confucianism, the philosophical tradition that played an instrumental role in shaping Chinese society, politics, and culture for more than two thousand years. With the fall of the imperial system of government, Confucianism was labeled a relic—an obstacle to China’s efforts to modernize and adapt to the new world order. The attack on Confucianism reached its zenith during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), when Confucius was branded a counterrevolutionary class enemy and his ideas denounced as superstitious and backward (p. 27). In recent years, however, Confucianism has undergone a process of rehabilitation and reinvigoration, prompting Welter to argue that, among all China’s traditions, it is the one “most likely to assume a leading role in shaping its future” (p. 102).

Welter dedicates two chapters, the book’s first and last, to outlining the history and current status of Confucianism. His main argument centers on Confucianism’s ability to respond to external challenges through creative adaptation and assimilation. Classical Confucianism was formulated as a philosophical response to Moism, Daoism, and Legalism, while Neo-Confucianism remade the tradition in response to the challenge of Buddhism. At present, Confucianism is in the process of adapting itself to the challenges of modernity, the changing geopolitical landscape, and Mainland China’s political circumstances. Under Xi Jinping’s leadership, the state has promoted Confucianism as a symbol of cultural nationalism, a system of moral values that can serve as an alternative to Western liberalism, and a vehicle for asserting soft power in the global arena. Confucian intellectuals and grassroots reformers have responded by emphasizing the tradition’s unique ability to combine individual moral self-cultivation with political and social activism.

One of the key points raised by Welter is that Confucianism, like other traditions, is promoted by the Xi regime only when it serves the state’s needs, providing ideological justification for the ultimate authority of the government (p. 37). This topic is further explored in Chapter 2, which focuses on Legalism. Born as a response to Confucian moral philosophy during the Warring States period (475–221 b.c.e.), Legalism’s ideas about law and order, the importance of administrative standards, and, above all, the promotion of absolute monarchy became foundational to the traditional Chinese bureaucratic empire (p. 43). Contrary to the common scholarly view that this militarist ideology was eventually replaced by the more civil-minded philosophy of Confucianism, Welter shows that Legalist ideas and techniques were often utilized at the beginning of dynastic cycles, when force was required to unify and stabilize society. He argues that this is also the case in modern China, with Mao Zedong comparing himself to the First Emperor of Qin and Xi Jinping drawing on Legalist rhetoric to justify the absolute power of the Chinese Communist Party.

Chapters 3 and 4 move away from philosophy to explore the resurgence of China’s organized religions—Daoism and Buddhism. Welter’s discussion of Daoism in Chapter 3 focuses on its contribution to contemporary environmental discourse. Motivated by the state’s Ecological Civilization project, self-proclaimed “Green Daoists” draw on ancient texts and practices to construct a “distinctly Chinese type of environmentalism” (p. 69). Chapter 4 examines the revival of Buddhism, China’s largest religious tradition. Drawing on two sites in the Hangzhou region, Welter argues that the Buddhist response to the crisis of modernity can be divided into two approaches: a conservative one that emphasizes the faithful preservation of past beliefs and practices, and a progressive one that innovates in order to promote a Buddhist religious, economic, and social agenda (p. 89). Much like their Daoist counterparts, in order to placate the state, Buddhists often downplay religious aspects and instead present Buddhism as a philosophical tradition that can address the moral vacuum characterizing contemporary Chinese society (p. 96), as well as a vehicle for soft power and a shared cultural framework for fostering good relations between the PRC and strategically valuable neighbors in Inner and Southeast Asia (p. 99).

Welter concludes by demonstrating how the resurgent philosophical and religious traditions discussed in the book might “buttress authoritarian rule in contemporary China” (p. 113). While subordinate to single-party rule and its official ideology, “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,” China’s ancient traditions still play an important role both domestically and abroad. The world, Welter argues, is in the midst of a “pivotal civilizational change” (p. 126), in which China and its culture will play a central role. Understanding the “Chinese Dream”—the leading ideological alternative to Western liberalism—is now more important than ever. The Future of China’s Past should be assessed in this light.

Welter sees this book as an important intervention aimed at a general readership. His style is highly accessible, and he does not assume prior knowledge of Chinese history and culture. He carefully introduces key historical figures, events, and complex religious and philosophical terms. His discussion of Confucianism, for example, begins with a short introduction to Confucius and his teachings, followed by an outline of the tradition’s subsequent evolution and its impact on East Asian societies and cultures (pp. 21–23). The chapter on Buddhism (Welter’s main area of expertise) is especially strong in highlighting the historical tension between Buddhism and the state in China, challenging claims that the suppression of religion by authorities is a purely Communist phenomenon (p. 75).

This last point reflects the book’s overall agenda: to offer a nuanced alternative to the current wave of Sinophobia. Promoted by American political scientists, foreign policy experts, and economists such as Graham Allison, Michael Pillsbury, and Peter Navarro, the “China threat” paradigm suggests that China is actively seeking to challenge and ultimately replace Western ideas and values. Welter counters this pejorative view by introducing readers to the rich intellectual landscape of China and highlighting the role of ancient traditions in shaping its contemporary identity.

In light of this laudable goal, the book might have been better served by being published by a commercial rather than an academic press. Designed as a “primer for … China’s intellectual heritage” (p. 13), the book may frustrate some academic readers. For example, Welter’s discussion of Daoism in Chapter 3 would have benefited from a clearer explanation of the key differences between the philosophical Daoism of Laozi and the organized religion of the same name, which emerged centuries later. A similar criticism can be directed at his use of contemporary examples. While his analysis of the Buddhist renaissance is based on fieldwork in the Hangzhou region, his discussion of “Green Daoism” relies solely on news articles from Western media (p. 69), neglecting a substantial body of scholarly work on the topic. One potential solution would be to incorporate examples from popular culture. The resurgence of traditional culture in Mainland China is not solely an intellectual phenomenon; it is also expressed in the entertainment industry, which includes a wide array of films and TV shows exploring China’s imperial past. Likewise, social media influencers such as Li Ziqi and the proponents of the Han Clothing movement tap into nostalgic yearnings for a simpler past and actively reinterpret Chinese tradition. A deeper engagement with popular culture could have strengthened the book’s argument and enhanced its accessibility for a broader audience.

These minor shortcomings aside, The Future of China’s Past remains an important intervention. It counters the “China threat” narrative and offers readers a rich, nuanced account of the cultural transformations unfolding in contemporary China.