The Main Schools of Confucianism in Present-Day Mainland China

Abstract

Since the 1990s, Chinese scholarly thought has become increasingly diverse and has undergone signifi cant reorganization. Confucian thought in particular has fl ourished and diversifi ed. Confucian trends of note are the value Confucianism 价值儒学 of Chen Lai 陈来, the democratic Confucianism 民主儒学 of Wu Guang 吴光, the life Confucianism 生活儒学 of Huang Yushun 黄玉顺, and present-day political Confucianism 政治儒学, the most active and popular of these trends. Though there are other schools of Confucian thought, this paper will cover only these four schools to keep the analysis simple and provide a synoptic understanding.