Religious Confucian Practices and Moral Governance of Shenzhen's Kongshengtang

Alex Payette

Abstract

How do Confucian groups participate in local governance? Contrary to the growing body of literature which discusses the development of Confucianism as religion and its possible institutionalization in China, this paper focuses on the role of these groups in local governance. This article explores Shenzhen-based Kongshengtang, a non-profit public interest group and argues that this group participates in moral governance through its teachings and daily rituals. First, the article introduces the Kongshengtang, its origin, activities (i.e., teachings and ritual), and its director. By examining the director, a student of the Confucian master Jiang Qing, we demonstrate that Kongshengtang actively participates in moral governance as well as in the local religious condition, even though Confucianism is not recognized as a religion in mainland China. Second, this paper shows how Kongshengtang's religious and moral discourses involve itself in the Chinese Communist Party's narrative regarding harmonious society and thus, how it participates in moral governance. Finally, we will conclude by applying the religious economic framework to assess its validity in the case of the religious Confucianism displayed by Kongshentang.

 

Keywords: Confucian revival, local Confucianism, moral governance, Popular Confucianism, Religious Confucianism

 

 


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