The Newsletter 65 Autumn 2013

Confucius evolving

Hang Lin

Reviewed publication: Wong Sin Kiong (ed.). 2012. Confucianism, Chinese History and Society. New Jersey and London: World Scientifi c Publishing. Viii + 251 pp. £28.00. ISBN: 978-9814374477 (paperback).

In Confucianism, Chinese History and Society, the contributors strive to convey a balanced understanding of the Chinese tradition of Confucius as it evolved over the last 2500 years, from ancient times to contemporary application, from the classics into practice, and all within a single book. Edited by Wong Sin Kiong, Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at the National University of Singapore, this collection of essays aims to distinguish the presentation of the subject matter from previous works on the topic that have taken a more historical approach. The essays contained in this collection were originally delivered at the memorial lectures in 1995 for Professor Wu Teh Yao, political scientist, specialist in Confucianism and drafter of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As the title indicates, the volume comprises mainly of three parts: Confucianism, Chinese history, and Chinese society, which also lucidly summarize the major research fields of Professor Wu.

Download PDF from menu on right to read full review »