The first symposium organised by jointly the SOAS Centre of Korean Studies and Sungkyungwan University will offer an opportunity for both established academics and PhD students from the two institutions to present their current work on topics related to Korean Confucianism and the roles of women in Chosǒn society. Time Description 1:00pm-1:15pm Opening remarks 1:15pm-3:00pm| London Korean Links | Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006
Recently I wanted to explore a fascinating passage of the Daoist founder Zhuangzi, where the text recommends “sitting in oblivion” or “sitting and forgetting” (zuòwàng 坐忘). …| Love of All Wisdom
Steve Fuller (2024) conducted a comparative analysis of Western and Chinese philosophy and civilization from a Western perspective. His focus was on identifying differences between the two civilizations at their foundational starting points, with a goal of fostering mutual understanding, rather than viewing China as merely “the other” of the West. Some of his observations align with core aspects of Chinese philosophy and civilization. In the following, I will respond to Fuller’s interpr...| Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective
The Zhou aristocracy’s belief in a supreme deity or Tian (“Heaven”) was passed down and adopted by Confucian elites through the Mandate of Heaven (tianming) doctrine. However, the precise meaning and understanding of Heaven in Confucian terms is unclear. For Mencius, who talks openly and extensively about the Mandate, the rule of Heaven seems to […]| The Confucian Weekly Bulletin
Similar to the divine right of kings, a metaphysical doctrine of political legitimacy in Christianized Medieval Europe, the Mandate of Heaven (tianming, which is literally translated as “Heaven’s will”) predates Confucius and was set up in the Zhou Dynasty to justify the replacement of the previously overthrown Shang Dynasty. The Mandate provided a convenient creation […]| The Confucian Weekly Bulletin
Humans and nature can resemble and learn from each other. In Confucianism, the fluid and reflective nature of water provides a model for the various ways of being. The way that water nourishes everything which is in it, fearlessly seeks out the lowest spots to fill them, and has the capacity to level itself no […]| The Confucian Weekly Bulletin
The word authentic comes from the Medieval Latin authenticus and Greek authentikos, meaning “original, genuine, principal”, from authentes or “acting on one’s own authority”. It derives from the term autos or “self, of oneself (independently)” and hentes meaning “being”, and the modern use of authentic implies that to be authentic, the contents in question should […]| The Confucian Weekly Bulletin
The Confucian texts show us that we can learn from water, especially still water because the stillness of water provides us with a mirror to reflect on the nature of reality, and in this reflection…| The Confucian Weekly Bulletin
Wang Rui 王锐, Geming rusheng: Zhang Taiyan zhuan 革命儒生：章太炎传 (The Revolutionary Confucian Scholar. A Biography of Zhang Taiyan), Guangxi shifan daxue chubanshe, 2022. ISBN 9787559855367; 344 pages; 88 RMB. Reviewed by Fabian Hiller (PhD candidate @ University of Tübingen) Wang Rui’s new biography of Zhang Taiyan, entitled The Revolutionary Confucian Scholar, is part of a […]| European Research Centre for Chinese Studies
The Han dynasty (漢朝/汉朝; pinyin: Hàncháo, 202 BC – 220 AD) was the longest imperial dynasty in Chinese history, ruling for over 400 years. Its impact on Chinese society, culture and political system was so profound that the word “Han” is used to this day as the ethnic designation of the majority population of the […]| The Greater China Journal