How do China’s classical philosophy of Confucianism and the contemporary popular pastime of karaoke group singing go together? And why might this be interesting to Canadians? Read China’s New Confucianism: Politics and Everyday Life in a Changing Society and you will find out. In nine substantive chapters and two appendices, Daniel A. Bell delivers on his promise “to uncover and explore distinctive and deep aspects of Chinese culture” in their “contemporary manifestations.” His politics are clear: a rising China needs to be understood by the world’s western powers and an appreciation of the Confucian realities of what is often referred to as communist China will help defuse misunderstandings and the dangers of unnecessary conflict between Us and…
Timothy Cheek
Timothy Cheek is a professor and the Louis Cha Chair in Chinese Research at the Institute of Asian Research at the University of British Columbia. His most recent book is Living with Reform: China Since 1989 (Zed Books, 2006) and he is editor of The Cambridge Critical Introduction to Mao (2010).