Confucianism & Modernization in Japan & China

In reading the course materials, and other literature, it appears that it might be most accurate to say that Confucianism had a mixed effect on modernization in China and Japan. Confucianism is not the only cultural element affecting modernization. It is the interaction of Confucianism with other cultural aspects that seems to create much of the differential effect in the two countries and in different eras. Chan (1993) gives a clear example of that in his brief discussion of the interaction of Confucianism and social mobility in the two countries. While Confucian orthodoxy devalued commerce in both countries, in Japan the limitations on social mobility forced merchants to concentrate on developing their businesses, while merchants in China were able to buy higher social status and leave commerce.

Before continuing this discussion, it is important to look briefly at what we mean by modernization. In order to assess whether or not Confucianism has contributed to modernization, it is essential to define modernization; for the purposes of this comparison, it will be defined in terms of Western modernization. Thus, modernization is seen as developing along the

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s that need to increase population. This may have served in Japan, but clearly has been counterproductive in China, with the population explosion resulting in severe and harsh measures to reduce growth. Hierarchy and Bureaucracy Confucianism deals quite clearly with the sets of relationships between people both inside and outside the family. The emphasis is on understanding one's position in the hierarchy and giving absolute loyalty both to those above one, and to those below one. The Emperor, in both China and Japan, was frequently seen as Divine, or as representative of divinity. It was he who was at the top of the hierarchy, and owed absolute loyalty until death. Both countries also had highly developed bureaucratic systems during different historical eras, with positions based on exams similar to those in the contemporary U.S. civil service system. Bureaucrats were representatives of an authoritarian state who were honored for their learning and for their status within the hierarchy. The state was not a democratic one, and many in Asia today believe that the kind of popular democracy supported by the West is unnecessary and actually stresses social stability (Morley and Crouch, 1993). Differences between China and Jap
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Some common words found in the essay are:
China Japan, Crouch Morley, Japan Confucianism, China Confucianism, Japan China, Chinese Communists, Books Reed, Buddhism Western, Western Europe, Overall Contribution, china japan, rozman 1991, chan 1993, elements confucianism, japan able, development modernization, confucian values, social mobility, modernization china japan, 19th century, johnson 1983,
Approximate Word count = 2085
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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