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Jonathan Estrella
Dr. Yulian Wu
HIST 356
22 April 2014
Confucius Rising: The Resurgence of Filial Piety in Modern China
Confucius ideology has been challenged in China since the Revolution of 1911, and the
success of the Chinese Communist Party in the 1949 Civil War led to greater efforts to
effectively diminish its effects in the peoples daily lives. The Great Proletariat Cultural
Revolution from 1966-1969 unleashed a wave of political extremism towards anything that could
be considered feudal, in the Chinese context of the word, which, of course, included Confucian
values. One of the major values rebelled against included that of filial piety the idea of
extreme respect and deference to ones elders and ancestors. Rebellion against filial piety went
so far that some children would even beat their parents, if their parents were found to be counterrevolutionary.1 However, Confucian values are making a comeback in modern China, mostly
due to moderate post-Mao policies since the late 1970s. Deng Xiaopings openness to limited
private enterprise, which has eliminated the concept of iron rice bowls, and the implementation
of the one-child policy have created something of a senior care crisis for the government. By
making Confucian ideology important once again, the Chinese government uses filial piety to
force children to take greater responsibility in the care for their elders, but openness to private
enterprise has provided young adults in China with some surprising solutions.
To be sure, Confucian values have never been eliminated from Chinese society. Maos
power and influence suppressed them, and the violence of the Cultural Revolution diminished
their influence even further. It was not until after Maos death that party leaders would hint that
1 Yulian Wu, Lectures from History 356, 3/4/14

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some aspects of Confucianism were acceptable, and it would be much later that the party would
come to openly support its values. As recent as February of this year, the government has even
promoted itself as a defender of ancient virtues, epitomized by Confucius and his collected
teachings, according to party leader Xi Jinping.2 The problem with statements like this is that
they create confusion. As expressed by author Murong Xuecun, their promotion is a dizzying
change for people of [his] parents generation, who lived through the Cultural Revolution, which
dismissed these ancient pieties as feudal hogwash.3 Furthermore, the government promotes
books that support Confucian ideology, such as The 24 Paragons of Filial Piety.4 So why has
the government had a change of heart concerning the use of Confucian values for propaganda?
One reason lies in the senior care problem the government is currently facing.
The Chinese government is facing a senior care crisis for two main reasons: limited
private enterprise, which has eliminated the iron rice bowls, and the implementation of Chinas
one-child policy. In the early 1970s, Mao and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) developed the
concept of iron rice bowls in the cities, in which the government regulated labor, but also
supplied wages, benefits, and pensions.5 When Deng Xiaoping took control of the Party after
Maos death, he was more lenient in considering the use of private enterprise and promoted an
economics-in-command policy. The government eliminated iron rice bowls, however, since
they no longer fully controlled labor output, and the need to fire the most incompetent workers
and hire the most hard-working was necessary for businesses to operate with some freedom and
2 Chris Buckley, Xi Touts Communist Party as Defender of Confuciuss Virtues, The New York
Times, 2/13/14
3 Murong Xuecun, The New Face of Chinese Propaganda, The New York Times, 12/20/13
4 Ibid
5 Wu, Lecture, 3/4/14

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in order to make a profit.6 In 1979, the party implemented the one-child policy in order to
control the rapidly rising population, which was nearing one billion.7 Although implementation
of these programs has done exactly what the government has wanted made China a strong and
internationally competitive economic power and limiting population growth to 1.4 billion the
long-term effects are now presenting themselves. The elimination of iron rice bowls and growth
of limited private enterprise has diminished government pensions for the elderly in the cities,
while the one-child policy has created a society of limited young adults with an ever expanding
elderly population.
The government has recognized the problems created by the one-child policy and the
permitting of limited private enterprise, and is taking steps to combat them. One step the
government has tried to take to alleviate future effects of the one-child policy is simply by
increasing the number of children a couple may have from one to two. This strategy creates a
problem, though, since many couples are choosing not to have a second child due to the rising
cost of childcare.8 Thus, the government must partially rely on a controversial law promoting the
value of filial piety to ease some of the senior care problems the country faces.
In early 2013, the Chinese government passed a law called the Protection of the Rights
and Interests of Elderly People, in which the government lays out childrens duties and
obligations to their elders to help meet their elders spiritual needs and maintain their material
ones. 9 These duties and obligations include visits at least every few months and providing
6 Wu, Lecture, 3/18/14
7 Wu, Lecture, 3/20/14
8 Dan Levin, Many in China Can Now Have a Second Child, but Say No, The New York
Times, 2/25/14
9 Edward Wong, A Chinese Virtue is Now the Law, The New York Times, 7/2/2013

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proper care whether through home care or hospices, and although someone may not be
punished for not following the law, in some rare cases, parents can sue their children for not
completing their filial duties. People have complained that due to work and immediate familial
obligations, they have no time to visit their elders, especially if they grew up in a village and are
now living in the city for work; some even have to pay many hospice care costs themselves since
government pensions alone are not enough.10 Considering the recent statements by Xi Jinping
and choice of wording that children have duties and obligations to their elders, it certainly
seems that filial piety is surely on the rise. Even if the law concerning the Protection of the
Rights and Interests of Elderly People is not promoted as filial piety by the government, it is
interpreted that way by the people of China.
To be fair, many Chinese have accepted and still adopt Confucian values to an extent, and
some of the elders who grew up during the Cultural Revolution do not take the obligations of
filial piety as serious as the government may be. Many children attempt to take care of their
elders to the best of their ability and continue to visit them despite the hardships of getting there
and the enactment of the new law. Furthermore, not all elders are that keen on adopting
Confucian values in their lives. A 94-old retired teacher named Lian Yicheng stated, my
daughter has her work and her own activities. She can't live in the past, according to the feudal
thinking and Confucian ways of my generation.11 So it seems that Maos influence may still
have some effect on many of the elders themselves, but that young adults still feel the obligation
to meet their elders demands and take care of them.

10 Anthony Kuhn, Ethical Tradition Meets Economics in an Aging China, NPR Parallels,
10/1/13 and Yu Hua, When Filial Piety is the Law, The New York Times, 7/7/13
11 Kuhn, Ethical Tradition

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The Chinese youth are not alone in taking care of their parents, however. The opening of
limited private enterprises has come up with creative solutions for helping take care of the
elderly. One of the less creative means began long before the 2013 law was ever passed
hospice care. Although not relatively popular in its start there were only 27 elder care homes
in Nanjing in 1990 hospice care has grown in importance, with now over 148 homes in
Nanjing in 2009 (similar growth has occurred in other major cities). And as researcher Zhanlian
Feng discovered, [elders will] tell you, Id rather live by myself. Im pretty happy here. 12
Businesses have responded to the 2013 law as well. In one NPR session, Renee Montagne and
David Greene discussed how entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the law, where Chinas
version of eBay has listings that offer services like running errands or standing in line for the
elderly, in case the elders child does not have the time or ability to help take care of them.13
Furthermore, in a way to honor ancestors during Qingming for those who are unable in Chinas
vastly mobile society, companies now offer professional tomb sweepers that will be clean,
show respect, and even hold a mobile phone to the grave so that you can talk to your loved
ones.14 So far, there has been little to no complaints voiced over their existence. In fact
companies seem to be successful in these endeavors, as one owner of a tomb sweeping company,
Ms. Zhang, stated that business had been very good so far this year.15
12 Paula Span, In China, a More Western Approach to Elder Care, The New York Times,
7/27/11
13 David Greene and Renee Montagne, New Law Creates Business Opportunities in China,
NPR News, 7/11/13
14 Mia Li, Caring for the Dead: Its the Thought that Counts, The New York Times: Sinosphere,
4/1/14
15 Li, Caring for the Dead

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During the Cultural Revolution, even the mentioning of filial piety could harbor
suspicion towards a person as being counterrevolutionary, leading to either their death or
imprisonment in re-education labor camps. Confucian readings like The 24 Paragons of Filial
Piety were banned, and if people wanted to read them, they had to do so in secret.16 However,
social and economic concerns have created a change of heart in the Chinese government. The
rate of the elderly is on a steady rise, much more so than the percentage of young adults, thanks
to the one-child policy. And the diminishing of the iron rice bowl means that elders no longer
have a guaranteed pension from the state. Thus, the government looks back on historical
tradition to save their party and provide practical solutions, touting themselves as defenders of
Confucian virtues and enacting laws that promote filial piety.
Bibliography
Buckley, Chris. Xi Touts Communist Party as Defender of Confuciuss Virtues. The New York
Times. The New York Times Company. February 13, 2014.
Greene, David and Renee Montagne. New Law Creates Business Opportunities in China. NPR
News. NPR. July 11, 2013
Hua, Yu. When Filial Piety is the Law. The New York Times. The New York Times Company.
July, 7, 2013.
Kuhn, Anthony. Ethical Tradition Meets Economics in an Aging China. NPR Parallels. NPR.
October 1, 2013
Levin, Dan. Many in China Can Now Have a Second Child, but Say No. The New York Times.
The New York Times Company. February, 25, 2014.
Li, Mia. Caring for the Dead: Its the Thought that Counts. The New York Times: Sinosphere.
The New York Times Company. April 1, 2014
16 Hua, When Filial Piety

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Span, Paula. In China, a More Western Approach to Elder Care. The New York Times. The New
York Times Company. July 27, 2011
Wong, Edward. A Chinese Virtue is Now the Law. The New York Times. The New York Times
Company. July, 2, 2013.
Wu, Yulian. Lectures for History 356, Spring 2014. University of South Carolina.
Xuecun, Murong. The New Face of Chinese Propaganda. The New York Times. The New York
Times Company. December 20, 2013.