Since the early 1980s, China has been experiencing a moderate Confucian revival. This has been evident in various aspects of society such as best selling books & television programs on Confucianism, various academic movements to popularize the Confucian classics, and the burgeoning “traditional learning craze” (guo xue re¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿) among others. This study is an attempt to provide a prefatory analysis of Confucian thought in contemporary China and various revival trends in Chinese academia, society, and politics. The analysis can be broadly separated into four parts:
Firstly, I present signs of the Confucian revival in Mainland China, focusing on examples of Confucian resurgence in mainstream media and society. Secondly, I investigate the history of Contemporary “New Confucianism”, focusing on the philosophy of several main “New Confucian” figures with a critique of their conceptual implications. This follows with a historical analysis of cultural and political context that fostered the return of Confucianism to Mainland China during the late 1970s and early 1980s under the banner of “New Confucianism”. Thirdly, I share findings based on surveys and interviews with Shanghai Confucian scholars, professors, entrepreneurs, and young people during the 2011-2012 academic year. I present an analysis of these survey and interview results, attempting to highlight broad trends among the Confucian revivals. Lastly, the analysis introduces theories on the possible impact of these trends.